Burrowing Under Barriers
by Cloperella
Summary: Months after joining the academy, Nick surprises Judy by confessing that he feels attracted to her, despite the fact that he's a fox and she's a bunny. Judy will have to push away the stigma her conservative background has against interspecies couples, as well as her lack of dating experience, in order to give both she and Nick a fair chance at something more than friendship.
1. Chapter 1:Is It Really That Complicated?

The biggest and most developed continent on Earth, divided into four distinct districts, each strikingly different from the one next to it. The frigid Tundratown took up the northeast, every inch of the city covered in white frost and snow. Immediately south of the icy plains was the sweltering Sahara district, with rough sand blowing through the blistering wind. Moisture and humidity made up the rainforest district at the northwest corner, as well as large luscious trees and other vegetation. The more developed area of the continent was the most striking sight from above, Savannah Central, with towering skyscrapers and golden monuments shining with the sun's light.

The four distinct areas, with sub-towns scattered throughout, made up Zootopia, capital of the island and pinnacle of animal civilization. Founded more than a millennia ago, when animals were taking their first steps toward civilization, an alliance of peace had been formed between predator and prey at a communal watering hole. What had begun as a village of huts over time transformed into a number of log cabins and sheds, with meals cooked by an open fire and laundry cleaned by washing boards. A steady revolution in technology helped advance the living conditions of the citizens. Wood was replaced with brick, wagons were replaced with automobiles, and messages could be relayed over airwaves instead of by mail. It wasn't just a first-world country; it was _the_ first-world country of the planet. Even the largest giraffe or hippo felt small the first time they entered Zootopia, surrounded by the towering structures, some of them glowing with video screens or product advertisements. Though the city had changed over two centuries, the town's motto had remained the same since the treaty between predator and prey had been signed so long ago.

Zootopia: where anyone can be anything.

Though most of the residents used the creed as a means of striving for self-improvement, others used it for more nefarious intentions. Within the downtown district, on the border of the residential and commercial area, a small creature scurried along the top of a bus stop. With a hoodie obscuring all but his black nose and whiskers, he looked out in all directions to see that nobody was around. The area was practically a ghost town at lunch time, leaving the hooded figure all by himself.

Crawling down the front of the sign, he pulled out a small spray can out of his hoodie pocket and shook it with vigor. He aimed his paw forward, at an advertisement for Waterbuck Waterbed mattresses. A spray of blue fanned out from the nozzle as the assailant moved it carefully around to write the letters NCT along the image of the white mattress. The creature snickered at his deed, before jumping down and scampering into a nearby alley. Up against a wall, he let out a sigh of relief.

"I don't get it." He heard an unknown female voice made him freeze. "Aren't artists supposed to actually draw something before they sign their names?"

He turned to his right to see a pair of long gray ears with a bit of black at the tips. He tilted his head down to see who the ears belonged to: a short bunny with a blue police cap and uniform. The bunny looked up at him, a lifted eyebrow and the corner of her mouth raised in a snobbish manner. Alarms went off in his head as heobserved the rabbit's uniform and badge with the letters ZPD. He needed to get out of there. He'd barely made it one step, when he felt something pull at his right arm.

"Oh, no you don't!" The rabbit shouted as she wrapped his arm behind his back. His wrist felt something cold and hard click around it as he spun around, his other arm confined by the same force. It all happened so fast, that he lost his footing and fell on his backside, his black and gray tail providing just a bit of cushion from the hard ground. "Come on, up and at 'em." The bunny cop said, yanking him up by his hoodie. She pulled it back to reveal the face of a young raccoon, an angry grimace underneath his black and beady eyes. "Do you understand why I've detained you this evening, sir?"

"Just for drawing on a stupid bus stop?" The raccoon sneered. "What, you gonna take me to jail or something?"

"Jail? Pft, no." Another voice responded from the side, more masculine and condescending. Both the rabbit and the raccoon turned to see another officer approaching. A male fox sipping from a latte in his paw and wearing a pair of tinted sunglasses. "Those are reserved for big boy criminals, guys who steal purses and play with guns. No, we're not gonna put you in jail, kid." The fox said as he stood in front of the raccoon in cuffs. "We are however gonna slap you with a fine. And fines for defacing public property are... " His eyes furrowed, and he lifted his empty paw to his chin. "They're, they're uh…"

"Five hundred dollars." The rabbit reminded him with a hint of arrogance. "Come on, Nick, you gotta get this stuff memorized."

"Thank you Officer Hopps." The fox replied in annoyance. "Yeah, five hundred dollars, yeesh that's a lot of money. I'm gonna guess you can't bully enough nerds out of their lunch money to pay that kind of fee, can you, Nocturn?"

The raccoon's eyes widened in alarm. "H-how do you know my name?"

"Kid, I've been all over the city even before I got a badge." Nick replied, pausing to take his shades off. "I've paid a few trips to the Rolling Rams Homes, and- heh, Rolling Rams." Nick chuckled for a moment. "Sorry, just, I love that name, 'Rolling' Rams; it's funny, because it's a trailer park, so the houses… roll… on wheels." Nick kept a satisfied grin on his face, even as he stared down the scowling raccoon teenager. "Anyway, you, uh, do still live there, right? I'm just assuming you do, because I haven't heard on the news anything about your dad 'winning it big' from any recent lottery drawings. And since he's making a career out of buying tickets, that just leaves your mom's salary from working at the local diner. I'm not sure what she makes bussing all those tables and juggling orders, but I'm guessing it's not enough to buy a house attached to the ground, is it?"

Nocturn wore a look of shock. He'd spent the past month cutting school on odd days, spraying his name in different places all over town. It was a desperate way for him to cope with his lot in life, escaping the downtrodden trailer park and making his existence known in a vicarious manner. Nick's reiteration of his life hit him like a ton of bricks.

"Yeah, I didn't think so." Nick went on undeterred. "I can't imagine how tough that's gonna be on her, busting her tail on those late nights, being the only one to provide for her family, and wishing she could see her little boy more often. Then she gets a notice from some cops saying that she owes the city hundreds of dollars, probably a month's worth of tips, just because her son wanted to scribble his name all over town. Golly, she's gonna have to take so many shifts at the diner just to cover your vandalism."

Nick took another swig of his coffee while Nocturn sat in silence, his head drooping in shame. Nick's assessment had cut him deep. The rebellious spirit he'd felt for so long had been drained as he imagined his mother's heartbroken face when she heard the news.

"Or." Nick said after taking the cup down from his muzzle. "We could not do that. We could let you go with a stern warning, saying that if we ever catch you doing this again, that we will fine your family without thinking twice. How does that sound?" Nocturn's face lifted up. His eyes glossy with wetness, he nodded quickly. "Awesome. Means less paperwork for me and Judy."

"Alright, sit up." The rabbit instructed the young sniffling raccoon, turning him around while she pulled her keys out of the secured pouch on her belt. "We're gonna escort you back to school. Hopefully the principal won't tell your mother about this, but that's not really our call." Nocturn nodded again while Judy undid his cuffs. Grabbing him by the arm, she guided him toward the end of the alley, where a large police car was parked on the side of the road. Patrol car Z-240, an SUV at six feet high, with zebra-esque stripes on the doors and a sturdious rectangular frame. The raccoon had to grip onto the floor above his head and receive some assistance from the two officers pushing his feet up to get inside. Once Nocturn was in, Judy closed the door behind him.

"Hey, when are you gonna let me drive?" Nick asked as she replaced her cuff keys with the keys for the car.

"After you learn how much a fine for defacing public property costs." Judy replied, as they both stood in front of the car. "Seriously?"

"Seriously."

Nick rolled his eyes. "Alright, mom." He groaned. "I'll study real hard if you promise you'll let me drive to the prom."

Judy flashed him amused smirk, resting her paw on the hood of the car. "Hey, Officer Wilde, do you think you could pretend to be professional in front of the delinquent?"

Nick moved his lips in a curt fashion, mimicking what Judy had just said to him. In the blink of an eye, Judy pulled her pen out of her breast pocket and flung it at Nick.

"Ow!" the fox cried out in feigned pain. "Watch it, _professional_."

Judy snorted and tried in vain to suppress a grin. She was sure that Nocturn hadn't seen them horsing around, they being a few feet below the hood of the car and below his line of vision. Even if he had, she didn't care at the moment. Judy was in a good mood, and didn't want anything to spoil it. Jumping up into her seat, she twisted the key in the ignition and pulled out of their space, heading off towards Gerald Grizzly High School.

The beep of the car's GPS chimed as she pulled onto the main road. Months ago, Officer Judy Hopps had depended on the device to get anywhere. Now she seldom used it. She had learned Zootopia quite well in the time she'd lived there.

Sitting at a traffic light, Judy took a moment to reflect on how well she'd adjusted to Zootopia. Half a year ago she'd stepped off of the train, one bunny in the midst of a swarm of countless species of animals bustling along the city streets. She'd been amazed at the sight of numerous transportation systems, vendors made to accommodate the varying sizes of different species, and the size of the pristine buildings that reached toward the heavens. Though the sights and sounds of the city had become commonplace for her, Judy still felt so grateful to be a part of it all.

Rounding the corner of the road ahead, Judy caught sight of the Gerald Grizzly high school. Her ears could hear Nocturn's breath get heavy behind her as they pulled up to the front doors. She wanted to comfort him, to tell him it was going to be okay and not to let it get to him. She knew however that it was best to let him hang on to a bit of his fear. They had every intention of letting him off with a warning, but if the fear of today didn't impact him, the lesson wouldn't stick and he might try his hand at vandalism in the future. Parking their car in the drop off lane, Judy and Nick stepped out of their seats to pull Nocturn out from the back.

* * *

"I would never want to tell you how to do your job, Ms. Bleatington. I'm sure the administration does that more than you deserve." Nick said to the principal behind her desk, with his right leg crossed over the other. With her gray ears upright, Judy's sight moved between her partner and the goat doe. "All I'm asking is that you think about how much good telling his parents is gonna do everyone here. I'm pretty sure me and officer Hopps put the fear of God in the kid when we nabbed him. If he just keeps getting stepped on, it's gonna stomp out the good that's left inside of him, you know?"

Ms. Bleatington lowered her eyes to her desk, one arm crossed under her chest, the other holding her cloven hooves under her snout. She remained silent as she contemplated the events she had just heard from the officers in front of her. The raccoon they'd apprehended had been a problem child for over a year; seeing him brought in by police made her eager to suspend him for some peace in the school. The way officer Wilde had pleaded his case made her reconsider her stance on the matter.

"We'll have to administer some sort of punishment." Bleatington said after some contemplation. "But I'm sure we can find a way to keep it between him and the school without his parents being ever the wiser."

Nick clasped the his paws together in relief, and Judy's ears relaxed against her head. "That's wonderful to hear, madam." He replied as he and Judy sat up from their seats. "Chief Bogo hates having to process minor cases. This'll make things easier on everyone."

"Happy to cooperate. Thank you two for bringing him back to us. Stay safe; it's a jungle out there."

Exiting the door to her office, Nick pointed toward the principal and winked as he clicked his tongue. Judy glanced up at him and rolled her eyes with a complacent smile. Stepping out of the school and towards their parked car, Judy's eyes readjusted to the sunlight hitting them from above.

"You're really good at sweet-talking people, you know that?" Judy remarked.

"Yeah. I know that." Nick replied, not bothering to hide his arrogance.

Judy scoffed and lifted an eyebrow as she approached the driver's side of the car. "I don't think it would kill you to be a little humble now and then."

"What do you want me to do? You want me to be one of those types that can't accept a compliment?" Judy shook her head as she hopped up to her seat, just as Nick took his spot adjacent from her. "Oh, n-no, me? Good at something?" Nick said, his voice raised a pitch as he lifted his paws to his face. "No, no, stop, that's not true; I'm not good at anything!"

"You know what Nick?" Judy asked, leaning over the center console toward him.

"What?"

Judy's paw darted across the console with a mocking punch to his arm. Still smiling, Nick's brow furrowed, before he swiped a paw back at her. The two cops began to hurl a flurry of playful slaps towards one another, giggling all the while. Nick managed to halt Judy's assault by grasping her wrists and restricting her movement. The two grinned ear to ear as their eyes locked.

Nick's addition to the Zootopia Police Department a few months ago had come as a surprise to many residents of the town. Right after receiving their first bunny cop, they'd gotten their first fox cop half a year later. Helping Judy locate several missing persons and put a stop to a conspiracy against predator citizens had been a significant deciding factor in the ZPD's choice to let him come aboard. Since his inclusion to the force, Nick and Judy were always on patrol together. What had started as a reluctant partnership had evolved into the most significant friendship of their lives. Judy never thought she would have clicked with a wisecracking personality such as Nick's. Yet, those were the features that brought out the best in her. Learning to trade quips with him had toughened her up quite a bit, helping her to fit in with the rowdy company of the ZPD. Noticing a playful twinkle in his emerald eyes, Judy figured she was just as significant in his life as he was to her.

A static chirp from the vehicle's dashboard caught their attention. With her left ear upright, Judy turned toward the noise just before a voice resonated from the speaker.

"Patrol car Z two-for-tay, state your twen-tay." A garish friendly voice emanated from the speaker. Judy wrestled her paws out of Nick's grasp and stuck her tongue out at him, receiving a playful snap of his teeth at her, before she pushed a button next to the speaker.

"This is car Z two-four-zero, outside Gerald Grizzly, go ahead Clawhauser." She replied.

"Hey you two! Your replacements for the evening shift just clocked in. Chief Bogo says you're cleared to head on back and get that steel beast of yours all checked in; get your weekends started."

"Gotcha. We'll be there in about fifteen minutes." Judy said, before starting the ignition. Checking to ensure the streets were clear, she eased their patrol car out of the school and began their drive toward the precinct in the distance.

"Hey, did Clawhauser say 'weekends'? Plural?" Nick asked.

Judy thought back over the recent exchange between the station's dispatcher. "He did. For once, Chief Bogo gave me Saturday and Sunday off."

"No kidding? Same here."

"That's awesome!" Judy exclaimed. "What are you gonna do with your time off?"

Nick lifted a paw and scratched the fur on the side of his neck. "Well, that depends." He said, before clearing his throat. "You, uh, wanna have dinner with me?"

"Sure!" Judy replied, her ears jumping upright in an instant.

Nick turned his head toward Judy in surprise. "Wait, really?"

"Yeah, of course."

"Oh. Well, that was easier than I thought." He said with a satisfied smile.

"Easy? What do you mean?" Judy asked, passing under a green light and rounding a street corner. "Why wouldn't I want to get dinner with my best friend?"

Nick's gaze remained fixed on Judy. Though his smile was stuck to his face, his eyes widened a bit at her response. "... Right!" Nick said after a pause. "That- that's what I meant, just you and me, two best buddies going out for a bite to eat!"

"So, why wouldn't that be easy?"

Nick shrugged his shoulders. "I dunno. Temporary insanity I guess."

Judy stole a quick glance at Nick, seeing him lean his chin on his paw as he stared out the window. "So, you got a place in mind?" She asked, keeping her eyes on the road. "You know the city better than I do. I bet you'd know the best places to eat."

"Eh, can't decide right now. I'll text you tonight when I think of a place."

Judy took another glance at Nick. Something felt odd about their exchange. Just a moment ago, he'd been full of his typical charisma. Out of nowhere, his energy took a major nosedive. Had she said something to offend him?

"You alright?" Judy asked him.

"I'm fine." Nick replied, turning his gaze forward. "Just, wiped all of a sudden. Really ready for the weekend."

Judy's ears slowly fell from their upright position. It sounded like Nick was covering something up. She wanted to press further, but knew Nick wasn't the type to disclose his troubles when he was asked. If something important was bothering him, he would tell her in time. She decided it was best to give him some space as she approached the precinct, just a few miles up the road.

* * *

Inside the women's locker room of the ZPD, Judy turned the knobs of her shower until the water above her ceased to pour. Her gray fur soaked from ear to foot, the steam of the room kept her warm. She reached for the towel hanging on the lowest hook, burying her face into its soft embrace. Judy ran the towel across her body, patting dry the wet fur of her naked body, then wrapped the cloth around her soaking ears.

Stepping into view of the lockers, Judy noticed the elephant in the room: Francine, sitting on the steel bench between the rows of doors, in a large white bra and matching bloomers. Hearing Judy's footsteps, the elephant looked up with a smile. "Hey Judy." she said, the rabbit waving back at her. "You 'bout ready for the weekend?"

"Pft, no." Judy replied playfully. "I'm bored when I'm not on the clock. And the chief's putting me out for two days in a row, I'm gonna go crazy!"

"Judy, Judy, Judy." Francine replied, shaking her head. "You'd probably work for free if Bogo let you, wouldn't you?"

"Ha, maybe!" Judy said, taking the towel off and stepping toward her locker. Before she twisted the knob, she turned back to Francine. "Could he actually do that?"

"No, Judy, he can't."

"Right. I didn't think he could, just- yeah." Judy turned back toward her locker as Francine let out a hearty chuckle.

"Judy, you really do amaze me sometimes. I don't think even the biggest animals that work here have half the fire you do."

 _Here it comes._ Judy thought as she set her bag on the floor. She'd heard a familiar set up from other officers in the division, and knew what followed. Something along the lines of being underestimated when she first joined the force, and then earning her place among them. Judy bent over, her fluffy tail raised a bit over her buttocks as she unzipped her bag, finding her frilly white bra and panties over her civilian clothes.

"I tell you, when I first saw you walk through those doors your first day, I didn't know what to make of you." Francine went on. "I thought you were gonna hop on out of here by the end of the week."

Judy forced herself not to roll her eyes as she dropped her bra on the seat next to her. Just as she thought, she was going to hear it again from someone else. Judy knew they meant nothing malicious behind it; they were just trying to be supportive. Hearing the same speech in so many different ways, however, was starting to get dull. She wished that they would just let her be part of the force without trying to make her feel like a special snowflake. Nonetheless, Judy kept a smile plastered to her face and listened to Francine's spiel with patience as she pulled her panties up her legs, nestled between her thighs and resting just underneath the poof of her tail.

"But you surprised all of us." Francine said, her serpent-like trunk buttoning down the top for her uniform. "You didn't quit even when nobody was on your side, and you ended up solving cases we hadn't solved for weeks."

Judy slipped her arms through the loops of her bra, and hooked the metal clasps behind her. "Well, I didn't sign up for the job to win anybody's admiration." Judy replied. "I took it because I want to help people. And I wasn't about to let a few roadblocks stop me from doing that."

"That's why you're perfect for the job." Francine responded as Judy pulled her jeans up. "You just gotta learn how to switch off now and then, like Nick. He's another one we didn't think too much of, but he surprised us just as much as you did."

Judy fumbled with the button on her jeans, tuning Francine out somewhat. She wasn't sure why, but the button was giving her more trouble than normal. She hoped this wasn't the price she was paying for _generously_ accepting Clawhauser's offer of extra donuts he had at his desk.

"You know, you two pair up real nice with each other. If you two were the same species, Bogo might think you have the hots for each other."

Judy happened to snap the button of her jeans in place before turning her head up toward the elephant. "What? Me and Nick?" Judy asked in a puzzled manner. "Are you serious?"

"Oh yeah, Higgins thinks the same thing. The way you guys always tease each other, or finish each other's thoughts." Francine was standing at the moment, her trunk tucking the bottom of her shirt into her pants. "If you were a fox, I think he would have asked you out long before now."

Judy's ears grew warm against her neck. She opened her mouth to say something back, but found that she couldn't process the words. She wasn't sure how she felt about Francine and the others talking about them in such a way. While they might have just been teasing for fun, if the wrong ears heard about that, it could get them both into serious trouble. Judy shrugged it off, and reached for her flannel shirt. Slipping her arms in her sleeve, she told herself they weren't in any danger. She assumed she wasn't even Nick's type.

Before she could secure the first button at the top of her shirt, Judy's thoughts locked on the conversation they'd had in the car on the way back to the precinct. Nick had asked if she wanted to get dinner with him. Not lunch, not "a bite to eat", or "some grub". He asked her to _dinner._ Her ears jumped as she realized the significance behind his question. Could that be why his mood had changed so suddenly?

 _Oh no…_ Judy thought on repeat several times. Nick did his best not to let others see inside him; he'd decided when he was just a pup that he wouldn't let others see that they'd gotten to him. She knew that he still had a heart, even if he kept it hidden. At that moment, she wondered if she'd accidentally stomped on it.

"Judy? Hey, Hopps?" Francine's voice snapped Judy out of her thoughts. "You alright? You look like you just saw a-"

"Time!" Judy let go of her shirt and pulled out her phone. She'd been in the shower for about ten minutes, and an extra two had been spent changing. Nick usually just changed clothes and went on his way. She winced as she realized that he could have driven home by now. A feeling inside her told her to try anyway, just in case he was still there.

"Igottagobye" Judy shouted, slamming her bag in her locker and bolting out of the room. Francine only saw a blur of gray dart away as she looked up.

Judy scurried into the central hall of the precinct. The area was swarming with her colleagues moving from one place to another. Judy dashed into the chaos, bobbing and weaving through the mess of traffic. She had to slide across the floor to avoid a large rhino's hoof stomping on her. His sudden halt in mid-step made him lose his balance and bump into a nearby yak, who'd been holding a disgruntled kangaroo by his cuffed wrists. The cuffed suspect attempted to hop away in the momentary confusion, before the yak and a few other officers pounced on him to prevent his escape.

Breaking through the doors, Judy looked over to the parking lot. Her eyes scanned the area, and noticed one car pulling out: A red Furrari, a vintage model from twenty years ago, but still in pristine condition. It was Nick's car, he was just leaving right now.

"Nick!" Judy hollered in vain, knowing full well that he couldn't hear her through the car's exterior. She bolted toward the vehicle, determined to catch up with him. She was able to clear the four yard distance in a matter of seconds, just a hair's breadth away from the front. She couldn't afford to stop in front of it, just in case it might hit her. With just a second to think, Judy leapt over the hood of the car, and slammed against Nick's windshield with a powerful thud.

Dulle yellow and blue circles overcame Judy's vision. She felt lightheaded as she blinked a few times, trying to clear away the blurriness of her vision. When she could see properly once again, she looked at the windshield she'd smacked against. Behind the glass, she could see the astonished gaze of the red fox who'd slammed his brakes at the sight of her. After a few seconds of staring at one another, Nick slowly crept a paw toward the button layout on his door. The window rolled down and he poked his head out.

"Hello, Judy." Nick said in a mild tone, a familiar smirk returning to his face. His eyes drifted downwards. "Hello, Judy's bra." He said just as casually.

"Hey, uh- what?" Judy asked with confusion. She looked down at her flannel shirt, still unbuttoned and exposing her frilly white bra. Judy's cheeks burned as she rushed her paws up to close her shirt, realizing she had just run through the station with her shirt opened, flashing who knows how many of her colleagues.

"N-Nick, do you mind if I, uh, talk to you, for a sec?"

"Sure, come on in. Button up though, don't want you to catch a cold."

Judy rolled her eyes as she fumbled with the buttons on her shirt. She seemed to have a little more trouble securing them, due to her paws were shaking at the moment. It took her half a minute, but she managed to button herself up properly. She slid off the hood and onto the ground, strolling to the right side of the car. Judy opened the door and hopped into the passenger's seat. Nick circled around the parking lot, and parked his car, clicking the vehicle's brakes into place.

"What's up, Carrots?" Nick asked.

Judy took a deep breath. Since she'd rushed to catch up with Nick before he left, she hadn't prepared herself for what came next. She could have taken several minutes, hours even, and she still wouldn't have been ready. Ready or not, this was something that couldn't wait.

"Nick, earlier today, when you were talking to me in the patrol car," she began, fighting against the uneasiness building in her stomach. "Were you asking me… out?"

"Yeah, I asked you out to dinner Judy." Nick responded with a pretentious tone. "Just wanted to spend some time with my best buddy, no big deal, right?"

"Nick, for Pete's sake, not now!" Judy snapped at him, making his facetious smile disappear. "For once, stop being smarmy with me and just answer the question: were you asking me _out_ out? Just tell me now, don't lead me on anymore."

Nick's eyes averted from Judy. He turned toward the windshield, resting his arms on the steering wheel. His shoulders rose as he took in a deep breath and let it out all at once.

"Yeah." Nick said in a pensive tone. "I was trying to ask you out."

Nick kept his eyes forward as Judy stared at him. Judy struggled to process this sudden revelation. There were so many questions burning on her mind at the moment: How long had he felt that way? How strong were his feelings toward her? And most importantly, what were her feelings toward him? Before she could satisfy her own curiosity, she needed to clear the air with him. She'd already hurt his feelings, even if it was unintentional. She needed to own up to what had happened to avoid sounding like she was interrogating him.

"I didn't know, Nick." Judy said softly, breaking the silence between them. "I just didn't think you felt that way about me, so I thought-"

"I don't know what I feel about you, Judy." Nick cut her off. "All I know is that you're the most important person in my life. You helped me believe that I could be something more than just a sly fox that nobody could trust. You're the first one to ever care enough to come back and ask for my forgiveness after you'd hurt me. If it weren't for you, I'd probably still be scamming mammals, selling frozen popsicles on street corners. I never would have gotten this awesome job working on the force with you."

Nick sat up, keeping his paws on the steering wheel as he stretched his arms out.

"And on top of all that life-changing crud, you're still the sweetest woman I've known in all my life in Zootopia. You're smart, you're funny, you're an absolute delight to be around. I feel like you bring out the best in me when I'm with you." Nick shook his head in irritation. "Look, I'm not trying to freak you out or anything, okay? I don't know if you feel the same way, but you showed me that it's best to try something, even if it means you might fail. So, that's what I'm doing: I'm trying."

Judy's ears slumped against her head. When she'd first met Nick, she'd thought there was nothing more to him than a selfish fox out to make a profit for himself. She'd learned that he'd gained some emotional baggage in his past to keep him from showing his sentimental side. Their experience together had helped him get back in touch with his heart, even though he still held onto his callous sense of humor. His sudden proclamation had blindsided her though. Judy never thought that Nick had grown so fond of her. She felt a built of guilt knowing he'd kept his feelings from her for so long, wrestling with the fear of how she might react.

Judy wanted to return the sentiment he had just given her. She wanted to tell him how grateful she was to have met him, that he had helped her climb down off the pedestal she didn't know she'd put herself on, discover some unknown prejudice she'd been harboring, and eliminate it for good. She'd realized under the bridge so long ago that she would have had a permanent hole in her heart if Nick hadn't forgiven her. But the shock of the situation just kept her from articulating her feelings about him.

"You know something, Nick?" Judy began, the two of them still keeping their eyes away from one another. "The day you joined the force, and first put on your uniform: you stepped out of the locker room, all donned in blue and with your belt and holster around your waist. I thought to myself 'wow, he looks good. If I were a fox, or, if he were a bunny…"

Nick's ears perked up at Judy's words. He turned his head to look at her, her eyes still looking at the center console of the car.

"Then what?" Nick asked.

Judy shrugged. "I dunno." She replied, moving a paw up to the back of her right ear. "Just, stuff would be easier." Judy curled her ear about in her paw nervously as she spoke.

An amused grin appeared on Nick's face. "Stuff?" he asked. Judy winced and pushed her ear over her eyes bashfully, making Nick chortle. "Well, you're not a fox. And I'm not a bunny." He said in a sincere manner. "So, is that a no to dinner then?"

Judy snapped her gaze back to Nick. "No! It's not a no!" She clarified. "It's just that…" Judy looked out the windshield, toward the police station where Chief Bogo and the rest of her coworkers were still busy putting a stop to Zootopian crime. "Do you know how dangerous it is to have those kind of feelings for a different species?"

"Of course I know, Judy." Nick replied. "I know how Bogo feels about interspecies couples. He doesn't want any filthy smutts working in his division."

Judy cringed at the term. As a teenager, it was something she'd been made aware of living in Bunny Borough. Her parents had told her about a family of rabbits whose house was attacked, because one of their many daughters had been caught kissing a possum behind the schoolhouse. Of course Judy's parents didn't condone violence against anyone, but they'd made it clear to her "engaging in crossing relationships is just asking for trouble".

Without any type of warning, Judy had learned her best friend, a fox, had some sort of attraction to her, a bunny. Now she felt more ashamed than ever of her old-fashioned upbringings. She didn't judge Nick as someone "asking for trouble", but she knew that interspecies relationships were frowned upon in most of Zootopia. They weren't likely to meet any physical harm for the matter, but it could lead to losing their jobs and not finding any work in the future.

"That's why I was scared to bring it up with you." Nick continued. "I didn't know if you were gonna go straight to Bogo if I told you, just in case you saw it as a threat to the force."

"I would NEVER do that to you, Nick." Judy said. "Why do you think I would do that?"

"Because this is your dream job? I didn't know if you were so loyal to it, you'd do anything to protect it."

"Absolutely not! " Judy reached over the console and grasped his paw with reassurance. "Nick, this may be my dream job, but that doesn't mean anything compared to you. I would- I DID quit because I thought I'd hurt you, and I'd do it again if it meant keeping you in my life. I would not throw you in the fire just for my job. I mean that."

Nick looked into Judy's gaze. Her purple eyes stared at him, forcing the truth of her words into his soul. Though a bit intimidated, he was at least reassured that the rabbit he was so fond of wasn't going to rat him out to their boss. He could feel her heart beating through her paw on top of his, their heartbeats matching in pace. They both seemed to realize at once that her paw was still on top of his, the both of them looking down to see her white pads touching the red of his fur. She delicately pulled her grip off of him and leaned back into her seat.

"You quit the force because of me?" Nick asked.

"Yeah." She replied. "Turned in my badge and everything."

"Wow. That's… that's huge. I'm kind of flattered, actually."

Judy reflected on that moment once again. It was true, she'd been pining toward being an officer since she was a little girl. But her dream wasn't worth anything to her if it meant breaking the heart of the person who'd helped her get there. Judy had no qualms admitting that Nick was far more important to her than pleasing her bigoted superiors.

"Nick, you're right." Judy replied after some thought. "I… feel something there too. And,it's worth exploring, like you said." As she spoke, she saw just a bit of a twinkle in Nick's eyes, though he kept his face reserved in anticipation for what may come next. "We have to be careful though. NOBODY can find out about this, or it's gonna fling us in a world of pellets."

Nick's face twisted into a smile. "Okay, did your dad used to say that, or was it your mom?"

"One of my uncle's- shush! This is serious." Judy replied, feeling the corners of her mouth wanting to smile as well. "Nick, I'm fine to go out with you, but we seriously need to keep this under wraps, okay? For both our sakes."

"I get it Judy, I know. I'm not gonna let this cost us our jobs."

Judy allowed herself to smile. She knew that Nick's mouth was a steel trap, after years spent hustling Zootopia's citizens of their money through nefarious means. If there was one person in the city who could keep a secret best, it was Nick.

"Okay. With that settled, then, uh… yes." Judy said, looking away from him and drumming her paws against her knees. "I would love to get dinner with you tomorrow. Seven works best for me."

"How does Monte Savannah sound?" Nick asked.

"Hey, I've heard Higgins talk about that place. Told me I'd like the salads."

"They do. They also make real food there."

The two flashed each other a playful grin. Despite the discomfort that had transpired between them a moment ago, they'd made a great recovery. They were back to their dynamic of friendly jabs and banter. The only difference now was that Judy didn't know if she wanted to punch him in the arm or kiss him on the cheek.

Before she could decide, Judy's right ear rose as she heard the sound of a loud engine several yards away. "Shoot, I need to catch that bus." She said, looking out the window to see a black cloud of exhaust trailing in the distance.

"Alrighty. Get going Carrots." Nick said as Judy opened the door and hopped out onto the pavement. "See you tomorrow night."

"Nick?" Judy said, turning to face him again. "Looking forward to it."

Nick nodded and waved at Judy before she shut the door. She darted across the parking lot and scurried to the corner of the precinct, just as the bus pulled up.

Showing the driver her pass, Judy took a seat on the left side of the bus, leaning up against the wall. As the bus closed its doors, she stood on her knees and peered out of the window toward the parking lot. She saw Nick's Furrari pulling out and making its way into traffic. She put a paw on the window as she watched him drive away, the bus beginning to move as well.

Judy couldn't describe the feeling inside her at the moment; part of her was glad to have resolved the issue at hand, and that she was heading home after so much stress had been dumped onto her all at once. Now she realized that she'd entered a new realm of possibilities with what they'd agreed upon. The next time she saw Nick, it wouldn't be as his best friend; it would be as his date.

After Nick's car disappeared into the distance, Judy sat back down in her seat, feeling the weight of her agreement come crashing down on her. Had she made the right choice? It was true, Judy didn't harbor any malice toward smutts — interspecies pursuants, rather. Even though Judy supported the idea of unrestricted relationships, she wasn't sure if she could do it herself. The idea of seeing herself with someone outside of her species just seemed so alien to her, like pasta and french fries; two things she enjoyed, but sounded odd putting them together. Nick was quite attractive for a fox, but was she herself attracted to him, or just assuming what other foxes should see in him?

Judy decided not to dwell on the matter anymore. She had agreed to give him a chance; if she took it back now, it would hurt him even more to crush his hope rather than let him down before she'd said yes. Now she had to wait for the time they'd agreed on. She checked the clock on her phone. The time was five forty-five. In twenty five hours and fifteen minutes, she would be at the Monte Savannah with Nick, assessing their feelings for one another and seeing if anything romantic could come of it.

Judy pulled her legs up to the seat and buried her head in her knees. She wasn't sure if she wanted those hours to tick by slowly and let her savor the time before the event, or quickly so she could get it over with. She just knew that she wanted to be home, stuff her earplugs into her ears to drown out the noise of her neighbors, and go to sleep. Things were about to change for she and Nick, and she'd need some rest to face them head on.


	2. Chapter 2: One Big Problem

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU LOST IT?"

"WHAT ELSE COULD I MEAN!? I MEAN, I LOST IT!"

"HOW DO YOU LOSE SOMETHING LIKE THAT!?"

"NOT ON PURPOSE!"

"QUIT GIVING ME LIP!"

"QUIT YELLING AT ME AND HELP ME FIND IT!"

"DON'T ORDER ME AROUND!"

"SHUT UP!"

"YOU SHUT UP!"

It just wasn't a day at the Grand Pangolin arms without the sounds of Bucky and Pronx screaming at each other. Judy had never made an official complaint against them, but her curiosity pushed her to ask the manager Dharma about them. From what she had learned, the two had been living in the apartments a year and a half before Judy had arrived. While it had been a disturbance in the first few months they'd moved in, the neighboring residents had adjusted to the noise just fine. Dharma had suggested to Judy that she should invest in "E and H: Earplugs and Headphones".

With a pair of headphones over her ears, Judy sat in front of her computer, one arm crossed under her bra and the other holding her chin, a hefty load of stress weighing on her mind. After her morning bowl of Bleaties, Judy had made the realization that the restaurant she and Nick were dining at tonight, Monte Savannah, was a five-star restaurant with a semi-formal dress code. She rushed in a frenzy to the nearest clothing emporium hoping to find something quick, but ended buying four different outfits, unable to make her decision at the store. Once she'd made it back home, she went through the endeavor of trying on each outfit to see which she liked best. All her life, she'd never cared much for her attire, save for navy blues of her police uniform. Now, she viewed her outfit as if they were going to make or break the evening for she and Nick.

It had taken her half an hour to go through each outfit, but she'd found the last one she picked quite striking. It was a dark gray jacket with a pink shirt underneath, and a pair of violet slacks. The jacket's collar made a nice v-shape down her chest, showing off just a bit of her shirt. The pink top showed just a bit of fur above her cleavage, and hugged her hips in a flattering way. The same went for her slacks, wrapped around her athletic thighs like a glove and giving some lift to her bottom. Judy thought she'd have to settle for "good enough", but she was surprised to find that she looked pretty sexy in that outfit. Without a moment of second-guessing herself, she snipped the tags off, happy to keep the outfit and wear it to Monte Savannah that night.

Just as soon as she'd solved her clothing dilemma, Judy's mind had conjured up a new problem to worry about. Her outfit had made her look so enticing, she wondered what effect it might have on Nick. He might be so drawn to her, that he'd try to seduce her after their meal. She felt foolish that the idea of sex with Nick had not even crossed her mind since last night, when he'd asked her out. Judy's life on a conservative farm had made it impossible for her to even masturbate, let alone have sex. She'd never even seen a naked bunny before; now she might be seeing a naked fox in a matter of hours, feeling his weight on top of her as he attempted to ram his _thing_ in her.

Interspecies sex was one matter that her mind struggled to process, but the real issue was the fact that her lack of sexual knowledge might not bode well for she and Nick, if the evening went in that direction. Judy decided it might be wise to use the hour she had left to perhaps look up some web pages online on the matter. She'd sat down several minutes ago, but had lost her nerve after seeing her desktop: a picture of herself in between her mother and father, surrounded by her twenty-nine siblings of various ages. Guilt gripped her heart as she bore their accusing stares, judging her for what she was about to look up, and made her freeze in her tracks.

 _Come on, quit getting so apprehensive about it._ Judy chided herself. _Take a leap, be a grown up, live a little._

Judy gulped and forced her hand on the mouse, ignoring the faces of the picture. She clicked the Zoogle Chrome icon that opened up her internet browser, and a blank search field was visible at the center of the window.

Her paws moved over the keyboard, and froze. Her eyes moved up as she contemplated her next move.

 _What do I even search for?_ She wondered. _Fox sex? Fox penis? Fox and bunny sex?_

Each thought made Judy cringe. She not only didn't have a clue about sex, she didn't even have a clue on how to search for it. Thinking it over more, she decided to try a more scientific query.

Fox reproduction

Judy punched the enter key, and watched the page disappear as the loading circle began to turn. After a few seconds, some results were listed underneath her search field. She decided to click the first result, a Yakipedia page titled "canine reproduction". The page loaded an article with paragraphs of information along with a number of detailed illustrations.

Just like rabbits, she saw that fox penises weren't immediately visible even with their pants off. However with male rabbits, a flaccid penis within a pouch was undetectable for the most part, just like their testicles, as if there was nothing there. Canines were quite a different story. The first picture she noticed was of a naked canine, from his stomach down to his thighs. Between his legs, she could see a pair of large furry testicles. What caught her off guard though was the sight of his sheath. It was big and round, with just a tiny slit at the top. Even completely flaccid, the round protrusion was intimidating, like it was teasing the viewer of what it was holding back.

Judy lifted a paw over her mouth as her face grew hot. She could see the top of another picture down below. Her other paw trembling, she forced it to keep steady enough to scroll down and look at the picture in full. Reaching the bottom of the picture, she saw the same model in the same stance. Circles of green and blue surrounded Judy's sight as she stared at the picture. This time, out of his large round sheath was the sight of a grayish fleshy shaft. It was by her best guess a few inches long, not even half a foot. It looked quite different from a rabbit's penis, but staring at it for a minute, she didn't find it off-putting. It had an intriguing shape, with a noticeable point at the tip.

 _That probably feels… interesting._ Judy thought. _I'll bet I could take that without trouble._

Looking at the bottom of the picture, she noticed the caption for the image. "Canine penis: semi-erect" it said.

 _There's… more…?_

Feeling her chest tighten, Judy scrolled down the page, until she found another picture. Same model. Same stance. But Judy's jaw dropped as she realized what was different in this shot.

The gray shaft she'd seen before had grown a few inches, more than half a foot now. It wasn't the extra length that intimidated her however. The sheath between his legs had reduced in size, revealing what it had been hiding. At the base of the model's length, she saw an inflated mass, more bountiful in width and girth than length itself. It was fat and rounded on each side with a crease up the middle. From the sight of it, it almost looked like another pair of testicles, but entrapped within the penis itself.

 _What!? What is that? Is that normal?_

Judy's eyes scanned the accompanying text next to the picture. Her sight locked onto a phrase in bold, the "bulbus glandis", and read the description that followed.

The **bulbus glandis** (also called a **knot** ) is an erectile tissue structure on the penis of canid mammals. During mating the tissues swell up and lock ( _tie_ ) immediately after penetration of the male's penis inside the female. The locking is completed by circular muscles just inside the female's vagina tightening thus preventing the male from withdrawing. The circular muscles also contract intermittently, which has the effect of stimulating ejaculation of sperm, followed by prostatic fluid, as well as maintaining the swelling of the penis and therefore the tie, for some time. For most canines the tie may last up to half an hour or more, though usually less.

Judy's ears flopped behind her head, her mouth open in shock. She imagined herself laying on her bed, her legs spread open as Nick straddled her with his pants off. He'd have his erection at full mast, along with his own knot of similar girth. She'd be helpless underneath him, shivering as he pushed his length into her, deeper and deeper until he met resistance against the knot's width. With his teeth bared, he push with all his might, forcing it past the surface of her tight rabbit snatch. Judy actually felt her vaginal walls constrict at the mental image.

"Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope." Judy muttered to herself, rolling out of her chair and onto the floor, reaching for her phone. "Forget it, it's not happening. I just need to call Nick and tell him I can't do this."

Judy's paw clicked open her phone screen and she hurried to access her contacts. She scrolled down the list until she found Nick's tab, and was just about to click the button to call him. She hesitated a moment, realizing she probably wouldn't be able to articulate herself very well to him. She decided it might be better to leave him a text. Just a quick, _Hey Nick, hate to say this, but I don't think tonight's gonna be a good night, I'll tell you about it at work on Monday, sorry 3._ Yes, that would be the better option.

She looked at the profile picture of Nick. It was him in his navy blues, his head turned at the side to look at her. In his paws was a bowl of noodles and a pair of chopsticks, which he was struggling to hold. Judy had caught the picture of him as he'd had his tongue out, trying to lap up the noodles before they fell out of the ends of the sticks for the twelfth time. He'd begged her to delete it immediately, but she had made it clear it was on her phone to stay. He was lucky she didn't post it on Safaribook for all of his and her contacts to see.

Judy's heart sank. She couldn't just blow him off like that. She had shared so many happy moments with him. Even if she didn't go to bed with him tonight, he at least deserved better than a last-minute cancellation. Judy closed the phone, and set it back on the floor.

 _Maybe there's a way to do it._ Judy thought, her mind going back to the intimidating knot on canines. _It's worth a look anyway._

Climbing back up to her chair, Judy navigated back to the search page. Unlike last time, she knew exactly what to type. Though still a bit uneasy, her pads flew across each button without hesitation as the text filled the empty bar on screen.

Intercourse between foxes and rabbits

Results filled the screen after tapping the enter key. The first option at the top made her grimace: "XXX Down The Rabbit Hole Hot Interspecies Action 18 and Up". Judy rolled her eyes. She wasn't going to educate herself on the matter with pornography, she knew better than that. Judy scrolled down the page, each result giving her similar results warning that the visitor be at least eighteen years old. Rather than click the next page, Judy decided to revise her search.

Research on copulation between the rabbit and fox species

The page refreshed, only to give her the same option at the top, though she did notice at the bottom of the page a rather preachy looking title of how "smutts" were destroying the nation's values.

Looking up at the top again, Judy resigned. She she wasn't going to get anything more informative no matter how long she searched. It was best to take what was given to her. Judy gulped as she moved the mouse back up to the top option.

 _Goodbye forever, browsing history purity._ Judy thought, _It was nice knowing you._

Judy clicked on the link. After clicking the age verification notice, a window for a video player appeared and began to buffer. A few seconds passed, and she could see a cheap motel from street view. The sound of a sporty Zooburu sedan rolling by filled her headphones, as she watched it drive into a parking space outside the building. The shot switched to a close up of the vehicle, the driver opening the door and stepping out. It was a fox with brown fur, much different from Nick's coat of fiery red. He was dressed in a uniform, khaki pants and a blue shirt and cap, each with a logo she didn't recognize. The fox reached into the backseat of the car and pulled out a square object with a rubber package. It looked like a bag for pizza from what she could see. Watching him walk away from his car made Judy wish that Nick had asked her out for pizza instead of a fancy restaurant.

The shot transitioned to the fox in front of a room, knocking on the front door. It opened to reveal the sight of a white bunny half his height. Judy was surprised to see that she had answered the door dressed in nothing but lacy blue lingerie, leaning her paw on the door frame and staring at the fox with a sultry smile. Taking a glance at her, the fox smirked before reading the ticket in his grasp.

After listing the price of the pizza, the scantily clad rabbit plead that she didn't have enough money available to pay for what she'd ordered, and asked if there was perhaps another way to cover the cost. Listening to their exchange of dialogue, a disgusted gag escaped Judy's throat. She hadn't even made it one minute into the movie, and she'd been treated to the worst acting she'd seen in her life. It was the type of performance that made her grade school pageants look like something out of a Sheepsearian play. Watching the two enter the motel room, it was clear to Judy that the rabbit intended to pay for her pizza with her body.

Deciding that she couldn't stand another second of bad acting, she clicked ahead in the timeline of the video, skipping ahead to a point where the fox had been relieved of some of his clothing. The two were on top of the rabbit's couch, while she moved her paws along the fox's lap, toward the button on his khakis.

Looking him over, Judy was impressed at his physique. The white fur of his front side was rippled with definition, his pecs round and prominent, his abs sticking out with six clear points of muscle. His beefy arms moved across the rabbit's chest underneath him, slipping her bra down to play with her nipple. It was then that Judy realized how much more endowed the rabbit was than herself, about two cups bigger at least. Feeling a bit of frustration, Judy tried not to look at her as much as she could help, instead turning back to the fox.

She'd managed to pull the waist of his pants down his long and sturdy thighs, revealing a pair of white briefs with an intimidating bulge poking at the front. She cradled its weight with her paw for a moment, making it throb toward her. After a moment, she decided to relieve the specimen of the last layer of its confines. Just like she'd seen in the article, the prominence of his sheath was apparent, as was the pink flesh of his semi-erection. Leaning back against the arm of the chair, the fox allowed his rabbit partner to move forward, stroking the shaft with her paw, before moving her mouth down toward the tip.

Judy's head leaned forward, her chin over her keyboard. As she grew more and more captivated, her hanging ears began to twitch with life. They began to lift, tittering slightly, but growing more rigid with each passing second. In less than a minute, her ears were completely upright, standing at full attention as she watched on.

She readjusted her position, so that she was sitting on her knees in her chair. Judy's eyes locked on the sight of the fox's erection engulfed by the rabbit's mouth, lips enveloping it underneath the tip. It seemed quite a lot for her to handle, her cheeks bulging just a bit as she closed her mouth around its girth, but the model seemed unphased by its presence. Judy's incisors clung to her bottom lip. Her toes curled slightly, and her thighs squeezed together as she watched with growing interest.

A minute passed of the rabbit suckling the shaft in her mouth, before Judy noticed something at the base. A bit of movement underneath the sheath. The rabbit lifted her paw, petting his fur underneath the roundness of his sheath. A few seconds later, the shaft extended even more out of its encasement, and the bulbous knot at the base popped out.

 _Oh my god, there it is._ Judy thought as she looked on. She lifted one paw up over her mouth in shock, while the other remained down below her desk. Her chest began to tingle, as did her lower belly, growing more and more along with her interest in their performance.

After teasing his knot for a moment, the fox leaned forward, pinning the rabbit on her back. His paws slid to the insides of her knees, and pushed against them to spread her legs apart. Judy was given a clear shot of the rabbit's vagina, her lips spread open and dripping wet. The fox crept forward, the tip of his erection drawing nearer and nearer to the opening.

Rather than enter, it hovered above the crease, leaning on the nub of the rabbit's clitoris. She let out a lusty giggle upon first contact, her whole body going rigid for a moment as she adjusted to the sensation. His rod moved back and forth along the surface, teasing her, getting ready for its grand entrance. He finally pulled back, pushing the tip of his length against the small opening. The rabbit gasped as she felt him enter her inch by inch, until the fat of his knob pushed against the breach.

 _No way._ Judy watched on with a mix of fear and intrigue at the sight. _Is it gonna fit?_

Gritting his teeth, the fox pushed his hips forward. Despite Judy's expectations, the sizable mass found its way inside, albeit with a loud and wet pop. Judy let out an audible gasp at the same time the rabbit on screen moaned in lust. It took her a moment to adjust, but the model seemed to enjoy the sensation of the knot inside her, the corners of her mouth turning up even as it hung open with her moaning.

Between her own legs, Judy's paw quivered as a single digit moved up and down, pushing against the fabric of her pink panties. The base of them had gathered a bountiful amount of dampness, a result of her snatch reacting to what she was watching. Judy had thought that a fox's knot would be too much for a rabbit to handle, but the two on screen seemed to be enjoying themselves well enough. The fox kept upright on his knees, thrusting back and forth, just enough to keep himself from yanking the knot out of her. The rabbit underneath him had her head leaned back against the couch, her eyes closed as she moaned, completely lost in the sensation. Judy wasn't sure how much of it was authentic or exaggeration, but she was glad to see that they could go at it without any noticeable pain. It gave her hope that if Nick made a move on her, she'd be able to accommodate him without trouble.

 _Nick… NICK!_

Judy's thoughts snapped out of the video and back to reality. Her eyes darted to the bottom right corner of the screen. It was five minutes til six. She needed to leave in five minutes if she wanted to catch the bus to Monte Savannah on time.

Judy rushed to click the close button on her browser. When her paw touched the mouse, she noticed the presence of something wet and sticky on the bottom. She looked down between her legs to confirm her suspicions of what the substance was. The pink of her panties had a darkened wet patch at the center, where she'd been unconsciously stroking herself while watching her dirty video. Knowing that she'd been pushed to such desire brought a rush of shame, but also of exhilaration, culminating in a powerful twinge that emanated another drop from her opening into the dampness below.

 _Darn it, not now!_ Judy mentally exclaimed, rushing to stand up from her chair. Another glance at the clock on her computer showed that she had four minutes to leave. She could feel the wetness of her lips brush up against her fur and panties as she took a step away from the computer. In times such as these, she wished that her apartment had a bathroom of her own, instead of the community toilets in the same area as the showers. Without such a luxury, she'd have to settle for the next best thing. Yanking a tissue from the box on her desk, Judy lowered her underwear down just enough to slide a paw in. She thoroughly pressed against her nethers, wiping away the fluid that clung to her. One slow and firm swipe, from the top of her labia to the bottom, stopping right before she reached the crack of her behind.

She would have liked to spend several more minutes touching up, but the clock was ticking against her. Tossing the tissue into the trash, Judy pulled her underwear up and hurried to get herself dressed. On went the slacks, the shirt, and the jacket. She hurried to the mirror to check her reflection, see that her outfit was in place and nothing unsightly was stuck on her face. Even as she stepped to grab her purse, she could still feel a bit of wetness inside of her.

 _Great. Gonna have to deal with that all night._ Judy gritted her teeth and told herself to just deal with it. She'd have bigger things going on than a bit of discomfort between her legs, and it would dry soon enough at any rate. Fighting the urge to waddle, Judy darted out the door with her purse over her shoulder, locking the door and hurrying off toward the bus station.


	3. Chapter 3: Helpful Tip

"Now arriving at Antler Avenue."

Judy's stomach leapt into her chest at the sound of the bus's speakers. The Central Circuit bus had been caught in a sea of weekend traffic, with countless animals in Zootopia yearning to unwind from their busy work week. Judy had spent the majority of the ride tapping her foot against the floor, in a vain effort to speed it along toward Monte Savannah. She'd been worried she would arrive to the restaurant late, leaving Nick waiting outside for who knows how long, all because she'd decided to watch porn before she left.

Checking her phone, she saw that it was one minute to seven. Even with the traffic, she was making great time. Monte Savannah was just down the road from where the bus would stop. Knowing that her date was imminent however made her skin crawl with dread. All of a sudden, she wished the bus ride would last just a bit longer. Despite her sudden change of heart, she hadn't any time left to squander. Judy gulped as the bus approached the stop on the corner of the street, before standing up with the rest of the passengers.

Judy's feet felt like cinderblocks as she stepped down the aisle, moving toward the door leading outside. Each step she took was heavy, a striking contrast to her usual bouncy steps. With her ears upright and alert, she took note of all the pedestrians on either side of her. Judy looked down the street, counting how many blocks away Monte Savannah was. Still feeling nervous, Judy forced herself to trudge along. She didn't want to keep Nick waiting, in case he was already there.

After a few minutes of walking, Judy noticed a smooth canopy on the side of a few yards away from her. The Monte Savannah's name was written in fancy monotype corsiva along the front. From the looks of things, she had been the first to arrive, the only one outside being a fox dressed in a snazzy formal black jacket. Judy was just about to text Nick and ask him how close he was to arriving when something registered to her. She rose her head up again to inspect the smartly dressed fox looking at his own phone.

"Nick?" Judy asked in astonishment. The fox's ears twitched to the sound of her voice, and he turned his head to look at her.

Seeing his face clearly, Judy realized the fox in front of her was in fact Nick Wilde all along. She'd not even recognized him without his loose-fitting yellow short sleeve and tie, or his baggy khaki pants. She was impressed to see his new attire fit his form well for once. Nick was dressed in a crisp black suit and pants to match, with the edge of a white long sleeved undershirt barely visible underneath his cuffs. Under the collar encompassing his neck, a smooth blue tie was tucked down underneath the button of his formal brown jacket.

Both Judy and Nick kept their gazes toward the other. Each of them were stuck in a trance, hypnotized by the appearance of the other. It was the first time they had seen the other dressed in something other than their police blues or their casual attire. They were both dressed to impress, and their stunned silence stood as evidence that their choice in fashion had met with success.

"Judy… wow." Nick stammered. "You look, just… wow."

Judy offered Nick a timid smile, keeping a tight grip on the strap of her purse. "Yeah. Y-you too." She said, her eyes darting to and from him nervously.

Nick's eyes moved up and down Judy's form, still admiring her gray jacket and violet slacks. He cleared his throat and looked toward the restaurant before looking back at her. "Ready?"

 _No._ Judy thought on reaction.

"Yup." She said with a bright smile.

"Alright. Let's, uh, do this." Nick said, before fixing his sight forward and taking the lead.

 _Okay Judy, open mind._ The rabbit reassured herself as she followed Nick toward the doors. _We're trying everything, and no matter what happens, it's gonna be an important experience. Stay cool._

Pushing through the doors of the diner, Judy was astonished for the second time as she took in the sights around her. The entire place was lit by an array of glass chandeliers, illuminating numerous sets of tables draped in the finest white cloth. The floor itself was a coat of smooth wood that had a hint of the restaurant's reflection visible on the surface. A beautiful piano melody filled the air, providing a tranquil atmosphere for all the guests in attendance. Judy looked toward the center of the room and found the source of the lovely music; a small hedgehog dressed in a brown suit, it's numerous spines jutting out the back of its jacket. The musicians claws flowed across the keys, its eyes closed as it let the music emanate from its soul.

"Hi there." A male llama with a peppy and feminine voice from behind the podium greeted them. "What's the name you're reserved under?"

"Wilde." Nick replied, snapping Judy's focus away from the environment that had her transfixed.

"Wilde, Wilde, Wilde…" the llama muttered, skimming the page in front of him. "Ah, here we go. Right this way folks, I'll show you to your table."

The greeter stepped away from the podium, while Nick and Judy followed. Their table was near the back of the area, next to an abstract wooden decorum reaching from the floor to the ceiling.

Nick and Judy took their seats as the house host set their silverware onto the table, along with a pair of menus. "Your server will be right with you. You two enjoy." He said.

Upon taking their seats, Nick and Judy remained silent. Their eyes were busy inspecting everything except for the one sitting directly across from them. Every now and then they would feel brave and look towards the other. If their eyes made contact, they would immediately look away as their fear crept up on them. After the fifth time breaking eye contact, they looked at each other again, each of them forcing a smile.

"Nice, uh, place, huh?" Nick asked.

"Yeah! Really nice." Judy replied in a hurry. "I don't think Bunnyborough ever had restaurants this fancy. Just hometown diners and joints, you know?"

Nick nodded. Judy could feel her uneasiness beginning to swell, before a thin female deer approached the table with a notepad in her pads.

"Hi there, welcome to Monte Savannah, my name is Margaret, I'm gonna be taking care of you guys this evening." She said to them in a smooth, energetic tone. "Can I get you something to drink?"

"Sparkling water's fine." Nick replied. The doe jotted his request down before turning to Judy.

"And for you ma'am?"

"Wine." Judy blurted. She noticed Nick's eyebrows raise in surprise, just as she'd felt herself for saying such a thing. Judy had never had a full glass of an alcoholic beverage in her life, knowing that it would impair her judgement. With her current state of mind, she wondered if her judgement could probably use some impairing.

"Any preference on wine? We have a great selection of pinot noirs, some of them aged as far back as-"

"Anything's fine, just one of the cheaper ones, please."

"Okay! I'll be back with your drinks in a moment."

With their waitress departed, Nick and Judy were once again left by themselves in silence. Judy's mind was stuck on their waitress's face. It wouldn't have been clear to anyone else had they not been looking for it; perhaps it wasn't there at all, and Judy's nervous mind was making it up, but she thought she could see suspicion in the waitress's eyes . Judy wondered if she was sizing them up, judging them, a fox and a bunny, dining in Zootopia's renowned romantic diner.

Judy's eyes wandered around the area, inspecting all of the guests surrounding them. She felt her nerves stand on end when she noticed an elephant in the room, a few yards away.

 _Oh no, what's Francine doing here!?_ Judy thought in a panick. Her mind began to spin images of Francine relaying the news that she saw two of her fellow officers in a romantic diner, and Chief Bogo telling them to pack their things if they valued their relationship more than their jobs. Inspecting her closer, Judy realized that it was not actually Francine; the elephant she was looking at had a bigger stomach and smaller flappy ears. Her worried mind had decided to play a trick on her it seemed.

"You okay?" Nick asked, bringing her attention back to him.

"Fine!" Judy replied in haste. "I'm just great. Here, with you, at this beautiful, fancy… romantic restaurant, and, it- it's great!"

"You're worried about someone from the precinct seeing us together, aren't you?"

"Yeah, a little bit." Judy admitted without protest. "I'm sorry, am I that obvious?"

"A little bit. Hey, try not to worry, alright? Not everyone comes here for romance you know. Some do actually come here for the food." Judy's eyebrows flexed upward in doubt. Nick looked above her, his eyes scanning the area around them. "Hey, look over there, those two guys."

Judy turned around and looked in the direction he'd pointed. She saw a pair of burly male bison sitting next to one another, both dressed in sharp tuxedos as they ate their entrees.

"See? They're not on a date. They're just two dudes, here for the grub, the atmosphere, and — " Before Nick could finish, he and Judy watched as the bison on the right leaned over and nibbled under the horn of the one next to him. The bison being nibbled replied with an affectionate smile, before turning to peck him on the lips then playfully swat him away. "And… they are on a date. Huh." Nick winced, as Judy's ears slumped. It was becoming clear to them that if they were found by someone they knew, it would prove difficult to convince them they just here as friends.

"Look, Judy…" he said, his voice sounding heavy with defeat. "If you want to go, just go."

Judy's stomach dropped to her toes. "Nick, no, I'm not gonna do that to you." She protested. "I'm fine, really."

"Don't." Nick said, shaking his head. "I get it. This might have been a bad idea. Maybe I just let my emotions get the best of me. If you want to leave, I won't hold a grudge against you. I'll get over it." He said, forcing a smile.

Judy looked him over. Despite his smile, she could see the disappointment in his eyes. She felt awful; Nick was willing to take a huge risk by opening up to her, and she was too caught up in her own fear to make it worth his while. She'd faced so many challenges in her life, standing up to creatures ten times her size that could crush her in an instant, and she was scared of a candlelit dinner.

Judy looked toward the entrance to the diner. She could walk out right now. She could end the date, and let the domineering idea of keeping predator and prey from exploring relationships prevail. Judy could just chalk up the blame to society, an oppressive culture that wanted to shun what it didn't understand. Deep in her heart, despite the fear she was feeling at the moment, Judy knew full well that she couldn't do that. Doing nothing was just as bad as supporting an agenda of bigotry. If anything was going to change, she had to initiate that change herself.

"Nick, I-"

"Hey there, I've got one order of sparkling water" The voice of the doe from earlier cut Judy's off as she reentered their sight, placing their drinks in front of each of them. "And one order of 2015 merlot. Are we all ready to order our entrees, or are we gonna need a few more minutes to decide?"

Nick put his paw up to the waitress. "Actually, we'll just go ahead and get the check-"

"Check out, uh, the menu!" Judy interrupted, catching the doe's attention. Nick shot her a puzzled look as the waitress turned towards Judy."That's right, we've just been so caught up with each other, we haven't even had time to decide what we're eating!"

"Oh, well that's no problem." Their server replied with gusto. "I'll leave you be for a little bit, let you get all situated."

Once the doe stepped away again, Judy grabbed hold of the glass of wine she'd been given. Lifting it to her lips, she tilted it upwards and took a heavy swig of its contents.

 _Wow. Really not that good._ Judy thought, fighting the urge to cough.

"Look, Nick." Judy began again, smacking her lips as her mouth adjusted to the aftertaste of the wine. "It's pretty obvious that I'm on edge here, for a number of reasons. It doesn't help that this is my first serious date, and it's with my best friend."

"Seriously?" Nick asked. "This is your first-?"

"Let me finish." Judy interrupted politely. "I'm nervous, I've been nervous since before I got here, because there's a ton of things that could go wrong, and it's freaking me out thinking of all of them." Judy took a deep breath before she continued, keeping her gaze forward on Nick. "Why are we here?"

"Because, I have unmanaged feelings for you, and I decided to act on them?"

"No- well, yeah, but that's not what I'm asking. I mean, why are we here, at this point in our lives? Why are we both working at the ZPD, when we were told all our lives that we could only be what we were?" She gave Nick a moment to respond, but all he gave her was a half-hearted shrug. "Because we didn't give up. I was told all my life that bunnies couldn't be cops, because they're meek, timid and not as smart as other animals. You told me that you'd been pushed into hustling Zootopia's residents out of their hard-earned money, because you didn't think you'd be anything more than a sly fox like they said. But here we are, two cops working for the biggest city of predators and prey on Earth. We didn't get here by quitting, and we're not about to start now, you got me?"

It took a few seconds for him to react, but an impressed smile formed on Nick's face, followed by soft applause.

"And the Hammy for best actress of the year goes to Miss Judy Hopps!" Nick said with playfulness. "Seriously, where did you learn to do that?"

"No idea!" Judy said, feeling more at ease than she'd felt a minute ago. "Anyway, yes, this is my first date. Unless… does grade school count?"

"Yeah, not really."

"Then yeah, first one ever." Judy reaffirmed. "I'm guessing since you've been as apprehensive as me, this is one of your first too?"

"You kidding me?" Nick asked with arrogance. "More like tenth."

Judy's jaw dropped. "Get outta here!"

"What's the matter? You gonna tell me I'm some kind of slime for dating so many women?"

"No, not even. I'm just a little confused why-"

"Hey, we should probably order something." Nick said, scrambling to pick up his menu. "Our waitress is coming back."

Ears upright, Judy looked over her shoulder to confirm the sight of the approaching doe. Opening her menu, her eyes scanned through the items as she scrambled to make a hasty decision.

"Alright, you two had enough time to decide?" Margaret asked, keeping her perky smile affixed to her face. "What can I getcha?"

"I'll have the, uh… grilled eggplant, with a side of tomato bisque." Judy said, passing the menu to her.

"No problem. And for you sir?"

"Tofu steak, medium rare." Nick replied casually.

"Alright, we'll try to have that out as soon as we can." Their waitress said, before strutting away. Though Judy's apprehension had gone down considerably since she'd resolved not to leave, there was still something between her and Nick that was keeping them from clicking at the moment.

"Okay Nick, here's what I'm not getting." Judy continued. "You say you've been out on ten dates before me, yet since we sat down, you've been as quiet as I have, like you've never been out on a date before."

Nick lifted a paw and opened his mouth, but it seemed he hadn't words to articulate to her.

"Uh… well, before I…" was all Nick could manage at the moment. As he struggled to get something out of his throat, the gears within Judy's mind began to turn as she thought things over.

"Wait… wait a minute, I think I got it now." Judy said, an intrigued smile appearing on her face. "Let me see if I can be you for a moment."

"What? No, don't be me." Nick said hastily. "Only I can be me."

"Okay, so, tell me if this sounds familiar. You, Nick, a cub of a fox, who'd just had your dreams of being a scout crushed, decide that you're gonna build up an emotional wall for yourself so nobody else can hurt you. You go through elementary school feeling sad, but as time goes on, you become numb to that sadness until it becomes a part of you, and you hardly even notice it anymore." Nick's face became rigid as he listened to Judy's spiel. "But whoopsy, building that wall of yours can protect you from just so much. You find out when you get through middle school that you need some kind of companionship, and with the changes your body goes through, it's more than just some bros of yours that you can talk smack and pull off scams with."

"You find a sweet blonde haired blue eyed fox when you turn fourteen." Judy continued. "You're tempted to call it love, but you've committed yourself to being nothing but a sly fox, and she's probably just as sly as you. You let her get too close, and she might just rip your heart out. So you lead her on, telling her sweet white lies and pulling cheap tricks until she lets you do things to her that would make your mother faint if she found out. It feels good, it makes that dull ache in your soul go away, but knowing what she is, you know you need to ditch her before she pulls a fast one on you. But then you leave her and, double whoopsy, that aching feeling comes back. So you need to find a new fox to fill that void. And what do you know, it leads you into a vicious cycle, of picking up foxes you held no respect for and just wanted to get into bed."

Judy watched Nick's pupils shrink in reaction to her assessment of him. She wore a satisfied grin, knowing she'd hit something close to the truth.

"But now Mr. Wilde, you're not going after one of your typical cheap foxy hook ups; you're on a date with a woman you admire and respect. And it's because you respect her that makes this evening so much different than the ones in the past." Judy circled her paw around the rim of her wineglass, feigning a piteous pout with her lower lip. "Since you're in unfamiliar territory, you're like a deer in the headlights." Grabbing the skinny end of her wineglass, Judy extended a pad toward Nick, who sat in shock with his mouth hanging open. "Boom." she whispered, before taking another drink of the red elixir.

 _Nope, still tastes bad._ She remembered, putting her glass down.

"Wow… is that what I've been doing to people?" Nick asked with an astonished tone. "That doesn't feel good. That really, really hurts."

"Seriously though, Nick, don't take it too hard, okay?" Judy reassured him. "The reason I took you up on your offer is because I enjoy spending time with you when we're on patrol. You're great company. And I was hoping I'd have that tonight, in a way."

Nick had to shake his head to clear away some of the befuddlement lingering on his mind. "So, what, you want me to chat with you like we're on patrol or something?" Judy nodded her head. "Alright. But, you're coming up with the conversation topic. I'm still kind of drawing a blank right now."

Judy drummed her paw against her chin for a few seconds before grinning. "Tell me about yourself."

"I always tell you about myself."

"No you don't." Judy said, shaking her head. "You always tell me about the people you know, which is usually everyone, since you know everyone in town. It's never about you, though." Nick's eyes turned up, before he gave a conceding nod. "Nick, if you're wanting to get anywhere with me tonight, you gotta let me in a little bit, okay?"

Nick tilted his head back, tapping his paw against his inner thigh. It was quite a bit to ask from him, Judy could tell. He'd spent his whole life hiding his emotions behind a wall of snarkiness and deceit. He'd made a noticeable improvement over the last few months working with her, but Nick still had some ways to go on breaking down those walls. Eventually, he put his paws up in front of his chest and sighed.

"Alright. You want my life story, I'll give it to you." Nick assented. Judy leaned forward with her elbows on the table, excited for the tale that was about to unfurl. "But I'm gonna have to mar some of the juicier parts, because they're, uh…"

"What?" Judy asked, puzzled.

Nick's eyes darted to make sure nobody was around, before mouthing the words "illegal" without voice to her. Judy nodded to confirm what he'd mouthed.

"Right." Nick began, clearing his throat. "So, yeah, little cub, big dreams, all crushed in one night. Decided right then I was gonna seclude myself to being what everyone assumed I'd be anyway. Thing is though, that kind of talent doesn't just grow overnight because you gave up on everything else. Sure, your instincts help you learn it fast, but I still had to go through the trouble of learning it. Enter Ned Whiskers, and his Sly Six". As Nick regaled Judy with the tales of his childhood, their waitress approached from afar, holding a large round tray of their orders above her head.

* * *

Despite the melting wax bringing the flame of the candle down, the light between Nick and Judy burned ever strong, illuminating their smiling and laughing faces. Nick had hardly touched his plate, so busy regaling Judy of his past hijinks in Zootopia. Judy on the other paw had made quick work of the eggplant on her plate, and had taken a few sips of her soup as she was captivated by his tales.

"So Finnick drops out of sight, chews a piece of gum for three minutes, then rolls it around so it's all dry and stuff. Then he comes back in sight and says 'Hey, yo, I found it!'. Finnick gives Diceros the gum, Diceros gives us the money, and if you visit his house today, I swear to you, there is a glass case on his mantle that holds Finnick's gum, with a gold plaque that reads 'Gazelle's Chewing Gum' on the front."

Judy had been foolish to attempt drinking some soup from the spoon at her lips. Hearing the end of Nick's tale made her laugh in a way that made the liquid want to shoot up her nose. She fought it down with all her might, gasping for air and laughing once she was able to.

"That's awful!" Judy said in the midst of her laughter, trying to keep her voice down. "Don't you ever feel bad making money off of someone that gullible?"

"No. If you're foolish enough to buy used chewing gum because you're a fan, you don't deserve that money in the first place. Heck, he wasn't even the dumbest guy I made a buck off of."

"Oh yeah? Who's the dumbest then?"

Nick shook his head at her. "I'll save that story for another time. It's your turn now."

"What? Me?"

"Yeah, you. I've been talking about myself for over ten minutes now. I want to hear about you."

"Nick, that's nice of you." Judy said, before sampling a bit more of her soup. "But my life's not really anything interesting as what you've had to say."

"You sure about that? I'd say being able to take down a rhino twenty times your size is pretty interesting."

Judy's face froze at Nick's suggestion. "Oh…" Judy lowered her head, tracing her paw up the back of her head and curling an ear around in circles. "You heard about that?"

"I did. Wish I'd been there to see it myself."

The memory flashed across her eyes all of a sudden. She, facing a burly beast of an opponent for the second time in her life. She remembered the adrenaline she'd felt as she quickly dodged his powerful swipe at her, the rush of excitement as she leaped against the ropes and used their momentum to propel herself at him. She'd used his confusion to direct his follow up punch right back into his own face, knocking him out in less than ten seconds. It had been a record for the recruitment facility, and a beacon of hope for rabbits throughout Bunnyborough.

"Come on, you and I both know it's not every day a bunny takes down a rhino in record time." Nick said, picking up his fork and knife, and cutting into his tofu steak. "How'd you learn to fight like that?"

Judy grinned as her ego swelled within her. Underneath the table, her legs swung back and forth, giddy with excitement as she retraced her days before she'd joined the academy.

"Well, after getting my butt kicked at my first tryout, it was kind of a wake up call for the level I was gonna have to reach to get taken seriously." Nick nodded as he sliced off a piece of his steak and took a bite, keeping his eyes forward as he listened to Judy. "I had to work my tail off to earn enough money to get some new lessons outside of my hometown. This was really intense stuff, I thought I was gonna throw up the first few lessons I took from him. It took me a few years to master that training, but eventually…"

* * *

The candle at the center of the table had melted considerably as Judy and Nick conversed. The wax structure had shrunk to half its original length. The two had finished their meals, and lost track of time chatting amongst themselves. It was a striking contrast to when they'd first sat down, nervous and afraid to look each other in the eye. The last half hour had felt like they were in their patrol car, parked in an alleyway and enjoying each other's company as they waited for a speeder to whiz by, or a call from the station. The ambiance of a candlelit dinner and soothing music however made for a more relaxing setting than the seat of their cars.

"I'll get those out of the way for you if you'd like." Their waitress Margaret suggested, reaching for their empty dishes. "Anybody have some room for dessert tonight?"

Nick look forward at Judy, lifting an inviting paw toward her. Judy gave a dismissive shake of her head.

"You sure?" Nick asked. "Their key lime pie is the best in the city."

"Nick, I'm sure." Judy replied. She knew Nick was just trying to encourage her to cut loose and enjoy herself, which she had already done so far. She wanted to keep it within reason though. "Hey, if you want dessert, go ahead."

"Nah, I don't really have much of a sweet tooth."

"Well, me neither."

"No problem!" Margaret said. "I'll go ahead and bring your check out."

Once Margaret had left, Nick tilted his head and looked at Judy with a smug smile.

"Judy, you and I both know you have quite the sweet tooth." Nick reminded her. "That's why you've been _graciously_ accepting the extra donuts Clawhauser offers you."

Judy gasped in overdramatic fashion. "You were not supposed to see that!" She seethed at him in silence. Nick averted his eyes with a devilish cheeky grin. "Well, that's the real reason why I'm passing on dessert. I've been a bad bunny, and I need to start behaving myself before it gets out of control."

"Hey, nothing wrong with being a little bad." Nick said, his voice an octave lower than it usually was. Judy's ears jumped up with surprise, and Nick's eyes widened, his mind having registered what he'd said. "Uh, sorry. That's not what I meant to say."

"Doesn't bother me." Judy replied with a smirk. Nick's nose twitched as he stared back at her. She could barely see it, but Nick's body had grown just a bit tense as she stared at him. His eyes darted down, staring at his own lap for just a second, before staring back up at her. Judy felt her grin growing wider as she wondered just what he could have been staring at in such a brief instance.

"Alright, here's your check." Margaret's voice caught them both by surprise. "Thank you both so much for dining with us tonight, we hope to see you again in the future."

"Thank you, ma'am." Judy said, before Margaret walked away. Judy caught a glimpse of the ticket when it had been put on the table. The total for both of them was seventy-nine dollars. Not a price she could regularly afford, but still feasible for such a luxury experience. She reached for her purse, fumbling about the contents inside as she searched for her wallet. She managed to find it in a few seconds, pulling it out and inspecting the contents inside. As she counted the dollar bills within, she noticed in her peripheral vision that Nick had his own wallet out, counting his money as well. "Whoa, whoa, Nick, hold on, I've got this."

"Nuh uh." Nick replied. "Mom taught me to always pay for a lady's meal, and I'm not about to disappoint her now."

"Nick, that's very courteous of you, but I don't like being paid for. Just let me do it this time."

"You can pay the tip if you want." Nick said, putting down his seventy-nine dollars on top of the receipt.

Judy directed a half-lidded glare at him as well as a frown. Pulling the same amount of money out of her purse, she put her seventy-nine dollars on top of his. "You pay the tip." She said with resolution.

The eyes of predator and prey remained fixed on one another, their stares locked like an iron cast. The two of them had enjoyed each other's company for the evening. They had both approached the restaurant with uneasiness in their minds, but had persisted enough to find that they could find pleasure in a more intimate setting than friendly coworkers. Now however, they had come to a roadblock. Each one was determined to prove to the other the extent of their gratitude. It seemed neither one of them would be unwavering to prove their chivalry to one another.

* * *

Strutting out of the kitchen with a large tray of dishes on her hoof and a perky smile across her face, Margaret focused on how much she hated Monte Savannah. She hated the food, the music, the guests. Most of all, she hated everything behind the visible dining room, the staff that treated her like garbage, and her boss that demanded her to be perfect at every minute she was on the clock. Every shift she worked pushed her mental and emotional fortitude to its limits, and the pay fell short of compensating for it.

 _I swear to God, if I get another tip with "get a real job" written on the bill, I'm flipping the table and storming out of here._

Margaret dropped her entrees off to the guests at the appropriate table, maintaining her chipper and friendly facade before departing. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the empty sight of table three, where the fox and bunny had eaten. Margaret felt disappointment looming as she approached the table. Margaret's guests tended leave unimpressive tips, and she didn't expect much more from a fox of all animals. She would count herself lucky if he'd even had the decency to pay his bill in full and not just leave without any of the staff noticing. She'd thought it strange enough that a bunny would even want to come to a romantic restaurant like this with a fox. Even as far as smutts went, that sort of pairing was a new level of strangeness.

Approaching the table, Margaret picked up the book for the bill, expecting to see it empty inside. She smirked when she saw a number of dollar bills in the flap. She counted them all and insured that the bill had indeed been paid in full. Putting the book inside the slip on her apron, she hunched over the table to clean its surface in a hurry.

Looking at the table again, Margaret was surprised to see another stack of bills where she'd picked up the book. She lifted the money and counted it. Twenty, forty, sixty, seventy, seventy-five, six, seven, eight, nine…

 _That can't be right._ Margaret thought, feeling her chest go numb. She counted the money again more carefully, but ended up with the same total. She pulled out the bill and looked again, seeing that the money left under the plate matched the total for the bill itself. _No way. No. Way. That fox left me a seventy-nine dollar tip. I usually have to wait eight tables to make that much!_

Margaret looked toward the front of the diner, where she actually saw the fox holding the door open for the bunny he'd been dining with. She was just about to walk up to him and refuse that big of a tip, until his eyes met hers. Lifting his unoccupied paw up, he pointed at her and winked, a toothpick pointing out of his confident grin. The doe reflected on the train of thought she'd had just a minute ago as he walked out behind the bunny. She shook her head to clear her bewilderment, knowing that her boss would jump on her tail if she kept her other tables waiting too long. Stacking their dishes up, Margaret began to feel a bit more fortitude to face the rest of the night, drawing strength of the fat tip that weighed in her pocket.

 _Two more hours._ She thought to herself, looking at her watch. _Hang in there, Maggy._

* * *

Outside Monte Savannah, Judy let the cool air fill her senses. When she'd first arrived more than an hour ago, her stomach had been in knots, worrying about how the evening with Nick would turn out. After a pleasant meal with delightful conversation, her belly was filled with nourishment, as was her soul. Seeing him step up next to her from behind, Judy turned her head to look at Nick, scraping the thin piece of wood between his sharp teeth. Judy's thoughts drifted back to the issue, that she and him, a bunny and fox, were dating.

Judy contemplated the idea of another world, where Nick had been a bunny instead of a fox. It would have made things easier for both of them; they wouldn't have to worry about their fellow officers seeing them and putting their jobs in danger. She tried to imagine what he would look like in that world: two long red ears sticking up from his head, his green eyes about level with hers, his red tail a small little puff above his waist. Would that have been a world she'd rather live in?

Nick let go of the toothpick and looked to his side, at Judy who was still staring at him, and offered her a smile. At that moment, Judy received the answer. No, it wouldn't have been better if he'd been a differences had been what had drawn them together, and saved Zootopia from a devastating rift between cultures. Besides, Judy loved Nick's short pointed ears, his long muzzle, and his slender canine form. She wouldn't want him any other way.

"I'm, uh, parked over there." Nick said, pointing his thumb over his shoulder toward a parking garage adjacent from the restaurant. "You take the bus, right?"

His question snapped Judy from her thoughts. "Oh! Yeah, bus." Judy replied, looking toward the bus stop in the distance. "I don't know when the next one gets here though."

"Well, I can drive you home if you want."

The suggestion stuck out in Judy's mind. The same image from before flashed before her, of Nick walking her up to her apartment, giving her a suggestive look as he leaned against her door frame. This time though, she imagined his gaze to be less aggressive; more offering an invitation, rather than imposing something daunting on her.

"Or not." Nick said after some silence from her, bringing her attention back to the moment. "If you want to call it a night, that's fine. Just thought I'd offer, no pressure." Looking back at him, Judy studied his face. He still had a half smile on, not projecting any irritation of sorts. He seemed satisfied with how the night had gone, with both of them sharing some pleasantries over a candlelit dinner.

Judy held up a paw to him as she pulled out her phone, assessing the time. It was half past eight, not late at all. With the both of them having this and the next day off of work, it seemed a waste for her to end the night so soon. She turned her head toward Nick again, taking a glimpse of him in his dressy suit and tie. Even after they'd spent more than an hour at dinner, she was still stunned at how sharp he looked at the moment. More surprising was the growing want to see what he had to offer underneath that dashing suit of his.

What she didn't want was for him to be in her cramped apartment. She knew Nick wouldn't judge her for her living conditions, but it was some discomfort she didn't want to impose on him. All they would have to sit would be her bed and the chair at her computer. And depending on if they wanted to take their intimacy to the next level, she imagined her screaming neighbors next door would most likely kill the mood for such a thing.

"Or, here's a different idea." Judy began, putting her phone away. She had a response ready, and hoped it would go over as smoothly as she thought it would.

"What's that?" Nick asked, as Judy steeled herself for what came next. The rabbit looked up at her date with half-lidded eyes and a mischievous smirk.

"How about you drive me back to your place, so I can take your advice." She said in a low, sultry voice. "And get some dessert to fill me up."

Nick's smile dropped with his hanging jaw. He stared back at her in stunned silence as she bit her bottom lip and maintained her seductive expression. Behind the veil of flirtation, Judy's mind raced as she mulled over Nick's shocked reaction. Was it good shock, or bad? Had she blown his mind that she could have thought of something so alluring and clever on the spot? Did he think it awkward, and his mind couldn't process the fact that she'd been so corny? She maintained her gaze at him, hoping he'd respond soon.

"...Wow." Nick replied slowly. Judy lifted an eyebrow, waiting for him to continue. "And I thought my material was bad."

Judy dropped her seductive glare and scoffed with exaggerated offense. She'd been proud of her improvised flirt, and felt just a touch scorned that Nick hadn't appreciated her craft. At the bottom of her vision, some movement caught her attention. Glancing down, Judy's lips curled into a delighted smile. Looking at Nick's lower body, she realized her enticement had better effect than he was leading on.

"Nick?" Judy asked. "Did you put a carrot in your pants, or-?"

"Hey, let's, uh, get to my car!" Nick replied in haste, turning in the other direction away from her. Judy snorted in delight at his movements, proud that she'd been able to rattle him in such a way. Scampering up to him, she looked about to make sure that no other animals were paying them any mind at the moment. Seeing that the coast was clear, she reached a paw for the bushy tail sticking out of his pants and grazed her palm across its surface.

Her ears picked up a soft gasp from him under his breath, and she saw the bulge along his inner thigh throb once in response. Nick looked down at her with a glare and a twisted smile, a combination of embarrassment, but also evidently enjoying her playfulness. Before she could react, she felt the fluff of his tail swat her back from behind, making her laugh in earnest.

As they entered the parking garage, the weight of the situation crept up on her once again. The idea of Nick taking her to bed wasn't repulsive to her; she'd been the one who'd initiated it after all. She wasn't afraid of Nick, as much as she was afraid of herself. Judy always had and still did support the idea of interspecies relationships, but the idea of partaking in it herself still seemed foreign to her. She was still coming to terms with her orientation being something different from what she'd assumed her whole life. It didn't help that this would be her first sexual experience with any species at all. The video she'd seen at home showed her that sex between them could happen, but she'd still had no paws-on experience to prepare her for such a thing.

Entering the passenger seat of Nick's car, Judy caught a glimpse of the fox's cheerful demeanor. He'd found it in himself to forgive her when she'd labeled he and all predators as potential threats to Zootopia, after she'd humbly apologized for her mistake. He'd most likely forgive her for not being a sexual expert as well. If any mistakes took place, they'd probably share a laugh, and treasure the experience as a fond memory later on.

Turning the ignition, Judy felt a bit of pleasure from the vibration the engine sent through the car. Despite her nerves creeping up on her, it seemed her body still wanted to take things further. She took that as a favorable sign, and enjoyed the ride, the minutes ticking by as they rolled out of the garage and toward Nick's home.


	4. Chapter 4: Making Adjustments

The traffic filling the streets of Savannah Central had disappeared along with the sun, making Nick's drive through town much smoother than Judy's bus ride. It was nearly a fifteen minute drive from the restaurant, to the complete opposite side of the town from where Judy lived. The bunny was surprised when Nick slowed the car down and pulled into the Presidio Zootopes luxury apartments. He flashed a keycard in front of the light sensor, activating the wheeled gate to grant them entry. The apartments must have been nicer than hers at Grand Pangolin to be within a gated community.

After parking his ride, Nick and Judy traversed across the pavement toward the stairs leading up to the second floor. Much like the car ride, Judy remained silent as they climbed each step. She kept telling herself not to worry so much, that Nick wouldn't hold her lack of sexual experience against her. Nonetheless, Judy still wanted to have an enjoyable session. She hoped that she could adapt to the new situation as she did with other endeavors the town had thrown at her.

After passing a few doors, Nick reached into his pocket and lifted the key up to the keyhole of the approaching door. Judy watched the metal shaft penetrate the slender breach. Her ears stood on end as she heard it slide through the tight crevasse, tapping the hilt as it bottomed out inside the sleeve. Nick's paw twisted the cylinder to the left. It seemed to be stuck for a second. Nick had to lift his paw and give it an extra shove. Judy's chest tightened as she heard the lock snap open all the way, before Nick twisted it back the other way and slid his prong out of the ravaged cavity.

Nick opened the door and turned his head toward Judy. His eyebrows twisted at her, staring in confusion as Judy's gaze remained on the door, wide eyed and motionless. Judy shook her head and offered a forced smile toward Nick, before he shrugged and walked inside. Judy took a deep breath, rolling her shoulders and her neck.

Judy's apprehension about the potential size of Nick's package had returned. She could feel her vaginal walls clenching in dread as she thought of its girth forcing its way into her petite caverns. She thought back to the video she'd watched before her date, reminding herself that it was possible for some bunnies to take the full length of a fox. Judy hoped she was one of them.

 _Okay Judy, this is it._ She prepared herself, stepping forward with her legs feeling as heavy as they had earlier that day. _Goodbye virginity._

What caught her immediate attention was the fact that the lights to Nick's apartment turned on without even flipping a switch on the wall. Stepping inside, Judy stopped in her tracks at the appearance of the room she stood in. She'd already been impressed that Nick owned an apartment in the Zootopes, but she had not been prepared to see the interior of his home for herself.

The first thing Judy noticed was how much bigger the room was than hers. She could have probably fit about six of her own rooms in the area, and still had a bit of wiggle room left. It was enough space for Nick to have not only have room for a long, micro-velvet sofa near the back wall, but two linen chairs adjacent to it. A large glass and metal coffee table held a vase of flowers at the center, as well as a white remote control. Judy looked from the table to the opposite wall, seeing a flat screen TV, even wider than the door frame they had walked through. And along the eggshell white walls were a collection of abstract paintings, straddling glass door that led to a patio overlooking the city.

Judy stood motionless as she took the scenery in. The shock of her closest friend owning such a luxurious place was a bit much for her to absorb at the moment. So many questions rushed up to her at once, she couldn't decide which one to ask first.

"Yeah, I'm not even gonna pretend to be humble." Nick said, smirking as he watched Judy stare in awe at her surroundings. "It's a pretty sweet pad, isn't it?"

Judy's eyes blinked in succession as she tried to speak. Sweet was an understatement; the place was magnificent. Looking it over some more, Judy realized that there wasn't a bed anywhere that she could see. Seeing another doorframe a few feet away from the sofa, Judy remembered how "economical" her apartment was. Hers was just one room with a bed and desk in it, but most other places in the city actually had more than one room for different functions.

"Is that your bedroom?" Judy asked.

"Nope, that'd be the kitchen. Bedroom's on the other side."

"You have your own kitchen!?" Judy exclaimed, before sprinting to the doorway. Her presence triggered a sensor, and the lights brightened up the room. She could see her own shocked expression reflecting off of the stainless steel surface of his refrigerator. At the center of the room was an oak table with a few bar stools on either side, a cutting board and some spices left out on the surface. Built into the wall was a titanium stove and oven, shelves of pots and pans lined up on either side.

"How…?" Judy asked, her astonishment surging ever more as Nick approached her from behind. "How do you afford all of this?"

Nick chuckled under his breath, failing to keep his smile under control. "Well, before I tell you, are you a cop?." Nick asked. The question snapped Judy out of her trance, and she turned her attention toward him. "You have to tell me, otherwise it's entrapment!"

Though Nick had meant the question in jest, it explained volumes to Judy. Nick had spent his life bordering the tipping point of legality every day before he joined the ZPD. Judy wondered what shady deals Nick made out of the eyes of the law in order to afford such luxuries.

"Actually, the whole 'cop has to tell you they're a cop if you ask' thing is a myth." Judy responded, her eyebrows lowering back to their normal state. "Entrapment just means that they pushed you into committing a crime you didn't intend to commit; doesn't really count if the intention was not to get caught"

Nick pointed a paw at her and nodded his head. "Now see, that's something a cop would know." He said, as Judy approached him. Judy's head lurched forward as she began to laugh, lifting a paw to her face to keep from losing control. Nick's sharp pearly whites became visible as he began to chuckle as well. Judy wasn't sure how much she approved that Nick was still holding onto possibly ill-gotten gains from his life of shady deals before joining the force, but it didn't matter. She knew Nick wasn't the type to hurt anyone more than swindling some cash out of them. Keeping the apartment and all the perks that came with it wasn't doing any harm to anyone, so there wasn't a need to press the matter any further. Reigning their laughter in, the two looked at each other with exaltation.

"Hey, seriously Judy." Nick began. "I'm glad you're here tonight. Thanks for giving me a chance."

Judy's heart swelled. Since she'd known him, Nick had kept up an emotional wall of sorts, a result of the discrimination he'd experienced as a child. Though it wasn't the most sentimental act in Zootopia, she was elated that he was letting those walls down even a little bit. Touched by his affection, Judy stared up at his green eyes and sauntered closer to him. This was it. She'd stand up on her toes and kiss his lips, and they would melt into each other's embrace. She could only imagine what would take place as they let their passion take control of the situation. Judy closed her eyes, pursed her lips and craned her face upward towards Nick.

"Hey, you know what we should do?" Nick asked, as he turned away. Judy stopped her head in its tracks. Her eyes opened with her lips still pursed, and she saw Nick walking away from her, toward the wall with the television on its surface. "We should watch a movie!"

Judy's body remained frozen, save for her lips curling back to a neutral position. She stared blankly at Nick, who stared back at her with an eager grin.

"Uh… movie?" Judy asked, forcing her voice to raise a pitch, in an effort to sound intrigued.

"Yeah, dinner and a movie!" Nick said, opening a door to a closet she'd not noticed before. Inside the space, she saw a number of shelves all lined with cases of movies crammed against one another. "We've already had dinner, let's get a movie going."

Judy's mind froze. She'd been gearing herself up for the moment, fighting her nerves and pushing herself to try something new, even if it meant messing up in the process. She'd thought herself so close to feeling Nick up against her as they explored one another's body. Suddenly it had been ripped away from her, and left her wanting. Looking over Nick's face however, he seemed genuinely excited about the idea.

Judy chided herself for thinking in such a way. Earlier that day, she'd worried that Nick might move too fast for her, and that she might not be ready for them to reach that level of intimacy. The situation had turned on her now; Nick wanted to do something wholesome with her, and all her mind could focus on was getting into his pants. It took some fortitude, but Judy fought back her carnal desires. It was a good thing that Nick didn't want to rush her. If she was still in the mood for it after the movie, she'd try to make another move on him again. Even then he might not be in the mood for it tonight, and that would be fine too. She'd still be grateful for a pleasant evening with him. Judy meandered across the room and stood next to Nick, whose paws slid across the brims of the cases excitedly.

"Alright, what to watch, what to watch- you want to watch an action flick? Could watch the Mootrix, if you just want to watch something with some gunfights and stuff. Or, oh, if you want to watch a com-dram, I've got Pheasantville, that's a good one. Ooh, are you into horror? We could watch Fawn of the Dead- it's more a comedy than anything, it just has some really grisly parts in it."

Judy fought back the urge to laugh as she listened to Nick rattle on about the movies in his closet. He was usually the type to keep himself on a pedestal above others, acting to cool to care about anything. Seeing Nick geek out over something like this was very refreshing to her. As he continued being indecisive over his options, Judy noticed a case on the floor. Nick didn't notice Judy crouching down to pick it up and inspect it.

The title near the top read "Snek". It showed a large anaconda with a brown vest around its upper body at the center of the picture, to its left a frog with a goofy grin, and to its right a feminine mouse with lengthy eyelashes and a crown. Looking at the release date on the back, Judy saw that the movie was released quite some time ago, a year after she'd been born.

"Oh man, Cattlestar Galactica!" Nick exclaimed with a laugh. "Okay, so this movie's really bad, but it's like, funny because of how bad it is. You gotta see this-!"

"What's this one?" Judy asked, holding the case in her paw up. Nick looked toward her and inspected what she held. His eyes locked onto the title, and his expression went blank.

"That… that's probably a movie my nephew left when he was over here." Nick replied. "I'll just take that-"

Judy pulled the case away from Nick's approaching paw and lifted an accusing eyebrow.

"Nick, you can't have a nephew if you didn't have brothers or sisters." She reminded him. "What are you not telling me?"

Nick rolled his eyes. "It's a movie I really used to like as a kid." He admitted reluctantly. Judy nodded, urging him to keep going. "It's about this snake who lives in this corner of the forest and keeps to himself. A lot of the prey that lives there is scared of him, but this one frog ends up making friends with him when he figures out he doesn't really want to eat him. Some stuff happens, and they save this mouse princess, and… I kind of liked it when I was a pup, because at the end of the movie, the prey animals stop being scared of him. That kind of stood out to me back then. That someone who didn't have any friends could find a way to make people see that he's not what they think he is. It's kind of what made me want to try being a scout when I got a little older."

Judy was at a loss for words. She'd not expected that the movie had been something Nick had once held so dear as a child. In a way, she realized she was holding a part of Nick's youth within her paw.

"I want to watch this one then." Judy replied.

"No, come on, not that one." Nick protested.

"Why not?"

"It's a kids movie, it's really stupid."

"I'm your guest, and I want to watch this one!"

"Too bad; pick something else."

Judy's ears clung to the back of her neck at Nick's snappy reply. A dejected frown spread over her face, while her big purple eyes stared up at him, wide open and trembling.

"What, you think that's gonna work?" Nick asked with a scoff. "Please, Finnick can do that better than you can any day of the week."

Judy's eyes became glossy as she continued to stare at him.

"Forget it." He said, crossing his arms.

Judy's gaze lowered to the floor, her bottom lip trembling.

"No."

Judy's heel lifted off of the floor and her toe twisted back and forth, her paws up against her chest in a feeble manner.

Nick looked over her pitiful state. His nose twitched in response to his inner conflict. He tried his hardest to remain firm in his stance, but he knew it was a losing battle. Seeing the woman he'd asked out looking so crushed tugged at his heartstrings. Sighing in defeat, Nick tilted his face up and closed his eyes.

"Fine." He conceded.

"Yay!" Judy exclaimed, her ears jumping back up as she leapt forward and wrapped her arms around him in joy.

"You suck."

"Yeah yeah, put it in already."

Nick wrestled his arms from her tight grasp, taking the movie case from her. While Nick set up the movie and dimmed the lights, Judy kicked off her shoes and sat herself on the center of his couch. Nick slipped off the black jacket and tossed it on the back of the couch before sitting down against the armrest and undoing his tie. Following his example, Judy decided to slip her arms out of her own jacket, leaving her in her pink sleeveless shirt. Out of the corner of her vision, she noticed Nick had stopped undoing his tie. She looked toward him and noticed his gaze was pointed downward, toward her chest. He glanced up and met her eyes, before clearing his throat and undoing the rest of his tie. Judy curled her lips to keep herself from smiling too much. Seeing the opening logos of the movie flash on screen, Judy reminded herself to keep herself in check; just let the night progress as it would.

The movie began with a brief intro to the main character, Snek, and his daily routine living by himself in his corner of the forest, along with an upbeat pop song accompanying his activities. The story led to another character, a frog named Warty, fleeing from a pursuing hawk. Moments before the creature was consumed by the bird, Snek intervened and gave the hawk a good scare, making him retreat into the skies. Warty expressed his gratitude for Snek's saving his life, but the anaconda proved to care little for his praise. Even with his iron defense, Warty stuck to his savior like glue, becoming the friend he'd never asked for as the movie progressed.

Over fifteen minutes of watching, Judy had crept her way across the couch, inching closer and closer to Nick every few minutes. She hadn't meant anything flirtatious by the act; she'd just felt a little awkward sitting in the middle of the couch a distance away from him. She also wanted something to lean against, like he had with the armchair. Her backside touched up against his when she scooted a bit closer, catching Nick's attention.

His green eyes looked her over from ear to legs. His paw moved up hesitantly, stopping when it reached the height of her shoulder. Judy looked at Nick with a reassuring smile. He continued its movement upward, moving it over her head and slinging it across her back with his paw resting on her adjacent shoulder. Judy snuggled up closer to him, picking her feet up onto the sofa and leaning her weight against him. Judy relished in the comfort of Nick's embrace, lifting her own paw up and holding Nick by the wrist. Feeling his chest rise and fall at a steady pace, she gained a new appreciation for the sturdiness of Nick's canine body. After a minute of laying against him, she felt his paw move up against hers. Their paws opened up and clasped one another. Judy felt a joyful rush spread through her chest feeling his pad touch hers. It was a small gesture, but it was like she could feel a bit of Nick's being through his grip.

Forty-five minutes into the movie, and the snake-frog duo had managed to find themselves in alliance with a prissy rodent princess who'd tasked them with escorting her to a prince on the other side of the forest. She'd made them stop and set up camp for the night, secluding herself in a cave and forcing them to sleep outside. With nobody but each other for company, Warty had managed to coax Snek into opening up about his secluded life.

" _Look, it's not like I blame anyone for acting the way they do."_ Snek explained, looking up through the trees to the shrouded out stars in the sky. " _I'm a big, slithering anaconda, and anacondas kind of have a reputation for eating creatures like you. We fend for 's what we do. I just figure, if everyone I meet is gonna run away from me in fear, there's no point in trying to change their minds, right?"_

The frog scrunched his face in disapproval, shaking his head. " _Nah man, that ain't the way you do it at all."_ Warty replied in an energetic manner. " _You can't just give up because a few, or a lot of folks judge you for something you ain't."_

Judy's left ear perked up as the characters talked on screen. It was faint, possibly her imagination, but she thought she detected a faint echo. Judy turned her eyes to the side, towards Nick. She was surprised to see the fox's mouth moving in tune with the characters voices, muttering their lines under his breath. She didn't know if he knew he was doing it, perhaps it was a subconscious reaction on his part. Nonetheless, Nick seemed to have the scene memorized word for word, and was reciting it to himself, his gaze locked on the characters on screen.

" _I know it's tough dude; trying real hard to be something more than you're expected to be, and ain't gettin' nothin for it."_ Warty continued, while Nick mouthed his speech. " _Ya can't give up on yourself though man. You gotta keep stickin' to bein' who you wanna be, not what everyone else thinks you are."_

" _Why? If nobody's gonna even give me a chance, why should I try to be anything else?"_

" _Because you deserve better than to live like this, dude. I know it's tough, but you gotta keep tryin', just in case someone comes along that might see you for who you really are. Don't do it for them; do it for yourself, alright?"_

Watching Nick's lips move, Judy imagined a time in Nick's past, when he'd been a small pup watching the movie in his mother's lap. She could see how the movie had touched him at such a young age, and planted the thought that he could rise above prejudice and fit in with prey if he held onto his convictions. That dream of his had been stomped on by a group of close-minded scouts who'd thought he needed a muzzle to remind him of his lot in life, and he'd let that act control him from that point onward. Seeing the film again after so many years, along with the accomplishments he'd made with Judy's help in the ZPD, seemed to rekindle that hope he'd felt in his youth.

Judy had her head facing Nick at the moment. After the characters had remained silent for a few seconds, Nick looked toward Judy, realizing he was being watched. Their gazes remained still, wondering how the other would react. Judy anticipated Nick to turn away, and pretend that nothing had happened. Instead he smiled and shrugged apologetically. He'd been caught in the act, but he made no attempts to hide it from her. He didn't see Judy as someone he needed to put a face on for anymore. He'd been caught obsessing over something dear to his heart, and he almost seemed happy that she'd been the one to see that side of him.

Judy couldn't hold back anymore. Caught up in the sentiment, she hoisted herself up on her knees, and placed her paw underneath his chin. Catching a glimpse of his surprised eyes, Judy leaned forward and pressed her lips against his muzzle. Her body's nerves stood on end as the short hairs of his face surrounded her mouth. She could feel the tension between their bodies, petrified by the suddenness of the act. Pulling herself away from him after several seconds, her eyes scanned his face, praying she hadn't offended him somehow.

Silence hung in the air, save for the movie playing adjacent to them. Then, the corners of Nick's mouth turned up, his eyes staring back at her half-lidded. Judy immediately felt a weight lift off of her upon seeing his smile. Nick pointed the remote control toward the television and paused the movie, before dropping it on the floor and moving his paw behind her head.

Nick laid back against the arm of the sofa, and Judy moved forward with her stomach pressed against his. Their lips pecked at one another gingerly. Judy giggled as the wetness of Nick's nose pushed against hers. Nick's paw moved up Judy's head. He ran his touch in front of her ears, stroking them down against her head in slow, soothing motions.

Judy tilted her mouths opened and their tongues advanced to greet the other. Judy felt the force of Nick's tongue lord itself over her the instant they touched. She felt his tongue lap slowly against hers, like a gentle wave of the ocean between her teeth. Each coil sent a twinge down her body, accumulating between her legs. With the mounting excitement building within her, Judy spread her legs and straddled Nick's slender waist.

Nick's ears twitched as Judy's groin rubbed against him. His paws traveled down Judy's body, rubbing against the middle of her back and making her arch toward him. His grip traveled just above her waist, Judy's puff of a tail wagging in anticipation.

His paws returned up to her back, tracing a gentle claw against the surface of her shirt. A fleeting sense of disappointment left Judy's mind as she melted into the embrace. Her own paws traveled across Nick's chest, gripping him periodically as a wave of enticement surged through her. Her touch moved up under Nick's chin as her tongue attempted to keep up with the pace of Nick's. Again, the fox's motions moved down her back, stopping just above her waist.

Judy darted a paw down and grabbed Nick's. She pushed it down past her waist and planted it against the roundness of her bottom. Nick's eyes opened and his tongue slowed its pace. Judy stared back at him eagerly. Nick's paw squeezed against the ample mound of fur at her buttocks. Judy moaned into Nick's mouth. Pressing her chest up against him as her body tingled, Nick could feel her rigid nipples grazing against him. As Nick's paw moved in circles over Judy's rump, the fly of his pants slowly rose underneath her.

Judy's chest was glued to Nick's, her nipples attempting to burrow their way through her shirt to feel the warmth of his fur. Her groin continued pushing against his body, inflating the swell between her legs. Nick extended one of his digits and traced it along the center of her behind, moving it down along her crack. Judy's breathing became pensive as she felt it move down, and her rear moved up towards its embrace. Nick's hips flexed in need as his shaft met resistance against his restrictive pants.

Nick pulled his head back when Judy's tongue stopped. He looked her over with a smirk and drank in each lustful breath from her open mouth. He kissed her cheek, watching her face scrunch up as he kept working his digits up between her legs. His lips moved across her face, and down past her chin until it reached the side of her neck. Judy tilted her head away from him, allowing him easier access. Nick's tongue slipped past his lips, and he began to lap at her fur.

Judy gasped as he licked her. His tongue pressed itself flat against her neck and drug upwards a few inches. She basked in the gentle, wet caressing of her fur. The sensation between her legs jumped to a higher level, more than she'd ever felt in her life. The building surge increased as Nick's paws pushed against the pressure between her legs, and his tongue kept an even pace on her neck. Her paws gripped the cloth of Nick's shirt. Though she was tempted to let him lick her into eternity, she craved a more direct touch without their clothing getting in the way.

Judy reluctantly tore her neck away from Nick's tongue. She looked down at him, his tongue hanging out as he panted lightly. With her buck-tooth biting her bottom lip, Judy's paws slid down Nick's shirt, until she reached her own pants. Moving up against her jeans, she gripped the tail of her shirt and lifted it up, exposing the lighter gray of her underbelly. Her shirt had just begun to expose the small cleft between her breasts, before Nick's paw reached up and grabbed her arm.

"Wait!" He called. Judy's arms froze in their tracks as she stared at him with confusion. "Not on the couch. Getting stains out of this thing is a pain."

With a playful smirk, Judy nodded and let down her shirt. His erection still evident, Nick slid his arms under her legs and behind her back, while she wrapped her paws behind his neck. Nick lifted her from the sofa with some effort, and turned toward his bedroom door. As he carried her toward his bedroom door, Judy leaned her head against his chest and reflected on their past. Several months ago, the two could hardly stand each other when they were working to find the missing Mr. Otterton. Now the two were about to were just a moment away from expressing themselves in the most passionate way possible. Life had an odd way of working sometimes.

Nick reached for the doorknob while still keeping Judy supported in his arms. He managed to get a hold of the metal gadget for a second, but his grip fell away when he tried to twist it. After a few failed attempts, Judy lifted her feet to the knob, effortlessly twisting it and pushing the door open. Nick pouted in defeat, but a kiss on the cheek from Judy washed away his frown.

Upon entry, his room was illuminated with a warm and gentle glow. Nick laid Judy down on his mattress. It was a smooth and velvety surface, jet black covers with iron sheets and rosewood pillows, something that put her discount mattress at Grand Pangolin to shame. Nick knelt down toward Judy, the two bringing their lips together again. Judy leaned back, holding onto the collar of Nick's shirt and pulling him down on top of her.

Nick pushed his concealed erection up between Judy's groin. Feeling another excited twinge, Judy resolved that she needed to get her clothes off soon, lest they be left with a stain before she'd even owned them for a day.

Judy eased Nick off of her and stood on her knees, moving her paws to undo the zipper on her pants. The tent in his pants throbbed when she pulled the waist down, exposing the pink of her panties. Tracing her digits across the waist, she slowly rolled them down, revealing more of the white fur under her belly. Nick's eyes locked on the small cleft between her legs as she took her time pulling the cloth down further and further. Though surrounded by fur, the flesh of her labia stood prominent from her desire. Judy kicked her pants off, before moving back to her shirt. Nick's eyes managed to focus on her upper half more easily once her shirt made it past her nipples. Her cleavage was faint, but the pinkness of her nipples stood erect from the white fur of her chest. Judy dropped her shirt over the bed, onto the floor. With the last article of clothing removed, she moved her paws behind her back, giving Nick a full view of her.

Judy felt a sense of hesitation as she'd undressed herself. It was hard to shake the built-in shyness squeezing at her chest as she bore her naked body to Nick. Though his ears were back against his head, his eyes scanned her up and down with interest, his teeth resting over his bottom lip. Seeing the amazed look on Nick's face helped wash away her fears. She'd expected him to advance on her, perhaps pin her down against his mattress while he unzipped his own pants. On the contrary, seeing Judy unclothed for the first time left the cocky fox paralyzed.

Judy was flattered in a way. Taking initiative, she leaned forward, holding herself on her paws and knees with her butt poised upward. Nick watched as she drew nearer, prowling toward him as if she were the predator, and he was the prey at her mercy. She crawled toward him, keeping her eyes glued to his as she neared her target, until she was just a few inches away from his chest.

"My, my…" Judy breathed in a sultry tone, moving her paw from Nick's stomach up to his chest, and tracing a digit in circles across the surface."For a guy who's been with ten other foxes, you sure are a timid little fella." Nick's chest rose toward her touch, and his thighs squeezed together. Judy giggled at his reactions to her. "You have a fetish for rabbits, Mr. Wilde?"

"N-no…" Nick said, his voice a bit strained. "I think I just have a fetish for you."

"Aww, well aren't you just the sweetest thing." She praised him, caressing him under his cheek before she leaned in and kissed him again. Though Judy usually enjoyed Nick's playful banter, this new humble side of him intrigued her. "Let's see if we can get you a little more comfortable." Judy suggested as she brushed her paws across his shirt. Sitting on her feet, Judy moved a paw downward, sliding it across the bulge at the front of his pants. Nick's mouth opened up with a gasp on reaction. Judy snickered, and gave his groin a gentle pat, before moving back to his shirt.

Judy unfastened each button down Nick's shirt as he laid back. With the last button undone, she parted each half of his white shirt. She was greeted by the sight of the cream fur along his chest and belly. She ran her paws along the surface, stroking him thoroughly. Underneath his fur, she could feel and even see the presence of some muscle definition. Moving her paws down further, she detected some firmness above his stomach, some budding abs finding their place on his body. She'd never seen him without his shirt before, but she was positive Nick had not been this fit when she'd first met him. He'd pushed himself quite hard to meet the physical requirement of the ZPD. A sense of pride surged within her, coursing through her clitoris as well, while she fondled his abs down to the waist of his pants.

Judy unhooked the black belt while Nick found enough mettle to push the rest of his shirt off. It took a bit of effort to unzip his pants, with the prominent bulge poking underneath the surface, but Judy managed well enough before moving to his briefs. Every muscle in her body stood rigid as she pulled the front down slowly, savoring the reveal. This was the big one. Judy's toes curled as she pulled his underwear up over the mound, her eyes fixated on the prize before her.

It was a veiny rod of light-red flesh, with a pointed tip aimed toward the length was smooth and sleek, quite a few inches longer than the length of her own paw. She noticed the lack of what had filled her with uncertainty at her apartment; his knot was still concealed by his sheath. She could see the mass hidden under the sheath, making it bulge above the white fuzz of his testicles. As excited as Nick was from Judy's body and antics, it seemed he still had a ways to go. That was fine with her; she'd find a way to entice that hiding knot out of its burrough soon enough.

With his pants slipped past his feet and onto the floor, both Nick and Judy were fully exposed to one another. Several months of companionship had brought them closer together than anyone in their lives, but only to a certain extent. The events of one pleasant evening had served to break down the last bits of the barrier between them, with nothing left to hide.

Judy's eyes left the fleshy length below, and traveled up to Nick's face. His hesitance melted away as he stared back at her, the sentiment of the moment locked between their gaze. Nick opened his arms, and Judy inched her way to him.

With his arms wrapped around her, she could feel Nick's gentle heartbeat with her head nuzzling against his chest. His paws stroked Judy's bare shoulders and back, cherishing her body against him. Nick lowered his muzzle, kissing her head between her ears. She tilted her beaming face up, puckering her lips before he kissed her again. Nick's paws moved down to caress her ribs and the sides of her belly while their lips remained locked. Judy's short nails grazed along the red fur of his back. Even along his back, she could some muscle definition. Judy's tail wiggled as she felt his erection rub against her inner thighs. Pulling her head back from his mouth, she reached a paw up and poked his black nose playfully.

Sliding her paws down past his belly, Judy traced up the side of his penis, her thumb gliding up the underside. It felt soft and warm within her grip, but stood rigid and proud as it pointed toward her. As soon as she touched it, the mass throbbed up toward Nick, hips lifting toward Judy on reaction. Judy felt captivated as her eyes locked onto his length. Just as his mass had done, Judy's own little nub at the tip of her labia flexed as well. Nick leaned back against the headboard of his bed, Judy leaning toward him to keep her grip on him. Rubbing her digits along the girth, she watched as it twitched with each downward stroke.

"So, uh…" Nick began, catching Judy's attention. "This is the first time you've ever done this, right?"

"Yeah." Judy responded with modesty. "Am I doing something wrong?"

"No no no, you're fine, you're fine." Nick reassured her.

"Well, don't be afraid to give me pointers. I don't really know what I'm doing here."

Nick chuckled in good humor. "Here, let's try something." Reaching for her left paw, Nick guided it underneath his balls. "Try cradling them a bit. Not too rough; treat 'em like eggs." Judy's paw flexed as her digits moved inward, fondling the orbs within her grasp. The rod in her right paw throbbed strongly on reaction. "Good, good. Okay, when you're stroking…" Nick held the wrist that was on his length. "Try to stroke it up slowwwwly, and then move down just a bit quicker. Yeah, like ths- haaa!"

Nick was unable to finish his reply. A deep moan escaped his throat, and hips flexed forward while Judy kept the pace of her paw at a steady rhythm. She began to notice little cues coming from his shaft, subtle throbs and flexes reacting to her touch. When she reached the bottom his his length, it would lift up slightly, and she would slowly pull her way back up toward the tip. Judy licked her lips as her eyes were glued to the frisky rod of flesh.

"Hey, Nick?" Judy asked, the fox's eyes halfway open at the moment. "Does it feel good if someone puts their mouth on it?"

"Yeah!" Nick responded eagerly. "Er, yeah, it feels pretty good, if you know what you're doing."

"Mind if I give it a try?"

"Yeah, go for it." Judy moved her paw down and readjusted her head above his length. "Just, watch the teeth."

With her mouth open wide, Judy remembered her buck tooth at the front of her upper lip. Suddenly, she was hit with a bit of discouragement. Could she move her lips up and down that shaft without her tooth scratching him? She opened her mouth again and moved toward the tip, only to hesitantly pull back once more. Judy's tongue ran underneath her front tooth, realizing that wouldn't feel good against something as sensitive as Nick's penis. A look of befuddlement came over Judy's face. As she puzzled over the matter in front of her, Nick snorted, and his chest began to bounce from his silent laughter.

"Shut up." Judy uttered with a smirk.

"I didn't say anything." Nick said, his laughter increasing even more.

"I'm gonna figure this out, just give me a second." Judy returned her paw to his length and rubbed her thumb underneath it, keeping it rigid and at the ready. Moving her paw up and down, she formed and idea.

Judy kept her paw around his length, and leaned her open mouth downward. Her tongue rose up against the bottom of the tip, while her lips closed around the circumference. Not wanting her tooth to scratch him, she kept her mouth in place around the tip, while her paw managed the rest of his length. Each time she sucked in, she would move her grasp up toward her lips. When she moved her paw down, she would ease up the suction her lips provided. She was rewarded with even more prominent throbs from Nick's fleshy girth. His face scrunched up from the rush of pleasure coursing through his body, his thighs tensing up in response. His eyes were closed at the moment, but Judy offered a self-satisfied glare at him anyway.

 _See? I got this. No problem._

Nick slowly opened his eyes and looked down at Judy. He reached down and laid his paw against the side of her head. Nick stroked her cheek with fondness as he smiled at her. Judy felt her heart flutter at his affection. Though he'd kept silent, his embrace spoke volumes. Judy's loins pulsed between her legs, making her toes curl in excitement.

Proud of herself as she was, Judy noticed that Nick's knot was still hiding within his sheath. If they were going to go any further, she'd have to entice it to come out and play. Judy removed her lips from the tip of Nick's rod, and moved her face toward the base. She let her tongue hang out, pressing it against the underside. With her paw cradling his tesitcles once again, she inched her tongue up the length of warm flesh.

"Hnnnn!" Nick let out another lustful moan, a pitch higher than she'd heard so far. Nick snapped a paw in front of his mouth, keeping his noises suppressed for the moment. Judy fought the urge to laugh as her tongue reached the height of his shaft once again, kissing its pointed tip. Turning her head, she kissed the side of it, moving the paw at his testicles up toward the sheath hiding his knot. She massaged its thickness, feeling it flex underneath its pouch, while she peppered more and more kisses down the side of his length.

With a few feeble flexes of his hips, the movement under his sheath increased, until the hidden mass breached the surface with a gentle squish. It was finally out: Nick's knot had made its entrance, deflating the sheath that had kept it hidden all this time. Though she'd seen it online earlier that day, it was still breathtaking to see the real thing up close. It throbbed just as much as the rod above it, but seemed to swell with a bit more intensity.

"What do you say, Nick?" Judy asked, raising her paw up and caressing the orb of flesh on one side of his knot. "You ready to go all the way?"

Nick took a moment to get his breathing under control. His eyes moved from the sight of his knot up to Judy, assessing the situation.

"Let's see something." He said, pulling his back away from the backboard he'd been leaning on. "Here, sit up, let's figure out what we're working with here."

Judy lifted her head from his genitals and pulled her legs up from behind. She scooted her lap up on Nick's thighs. Leaning back, she kept her legs open as she pushed her soaking vagina up underneath Nick's unsheathed length. The mass of flesh trembled when her vulva touched it, making Nick gasp slightly. The two of them looked at their laps, assessing the situation. Judy's vulva was noticeably open, to the point that Nick would see her clitoris pulsing a bit if he looked close enough. Both of their bodies were brimming with lust, imagining the joy of connecting themselves through their loins and losing themselves in a loving and passionate connection.

"Well, it's bigger than I imagined — which is good." Nick said as he looked down at Judy's open lips. Judy offered a feeble smile, hoping in vain that there wasn't a disappointing follow up to that statement. "But… that size difference is kind of hard to ignore, isn't it?"

Judy's chest tightened with dread. She wanted so badly to deny it, to say that she could tough it out and take him all the way. But seeing his length pressed up against her opening, she cringed at the thought that she might regret it if she tried to force it in. Her heart sank at the thought that they'd reached a wall already. They'd been enjoying themselves so much before; was this really the farthest they could go with one another? Judy thought back to the video she'd watched several hours ago, and the actress who'd been able to take the length of the fox all the way.

"Are you sure it won't work?" Judy pleaded. "I… think it could. I'm sure others have made it work, uh, somewhere." Judy suggested, trying not to give away what had planted the thought in her head.

Nick stared at Judy's wet opening, his thoughts smoldering within. He reached a paw down between her legs, brushing his thumb against the crease of her lips. The soft touch drew out a soft moan from Judy as she leaned her head back and closed her eyes.

"Is this as open as you can get?" Nick asked, inspecting how her opening pulsed underneath his touch.

"Hmm?" Judy asked, opening an eye and staring back at him with confusion.

"You didn't know? It gets more receptive as you get more turned on." Judy's eyebrows rose in interest. "Yup. It's like your body's way of preparing you to take in whatever size comes your way. Pretty neat, huh? " Nick explained, still running his digit over her labia. He pushed his thumb forward and pushed it sideways, opening it at the center. Judy squealed as her nerves spiked under his touch. "So, you think you can get more turned on than you are now?"

Judy's chest rose and fell as she fought to muster a response.

"I… I-I've never been more turned on in-in my life." She uttered. Nick smiled confidently as he watched her squirm underneath his touch.

"Yeah, that makes sense." He replied. "Which kind of makes me wonder if we can go further. Maybe if I can get your motor going just a bit more, it might open you up enough to fit."

"R-really?" Judy asked, a bit of hope coming to light in her voice.

"Maybe. Not making any promises; I can only work so many miracles, you know?" Nick replied with a shrug. "But if you can be patient with me, I think I can make it happen."

"What do you need me to do?"

Nick shook his head. "Nothing. Just sit back, and let me do all the work."

Nick craned his head forward, until it was an inch away from Judy's face. She felt just a bit intimidated by his sudden advance, until he slipped his tongue out and licked her nose. Judy smiled at him as he kissed her lips, and then moved his face down past her chin. He resumed the familiar embrace from the living room, letting his tongue slide across her neck and up to her chin. This time, he moved his paw up her naked front, trailing a claw up the center of her chest. The end of his digit danced through her fur, around the slight bump of her left breast. Judy's mouth hung open as his digits wrapped around the sturdy nipple poking out of her fur, and tweaked it with care.

Though Judy had never really masturbated, she had sometimes found herself stroking her nipples absent mindedly within the comfort of her home when she was bored. She'd never known that they could feel this kind of pleasure before. Nick worked his grip around the nub, squeezing and pulling it in a controlled rhythm. Judy could feel each tug as if it were pulling her clitoris itself, massaging its nerves all the way from her chest. The feeling enlarged more so as Nick began to nibble his sharp teeth across the edges of her fur.

Nick moved his head down, easing Judy back onto his bed so that he had more leverage. His face traveled down to her shoulders, kissing and nibbling all the way down. He stopped when he reached her belly, moving his paws down her chest and cradling her ribs. Pushing his mouth against the surface, he continued to lap at her body. The same pulling sensation at her nipples increased by a magnitude, giving her a more intense pulse.

Judy had not known she could reach this level of arousal before. She'd gone all her life without exploring her body, and now she was being brought to levels she didn't know existed. As Nick's mouth worked against her stomach and made her vaginal walls resonate, she didn't think she'd be able to ignore it ever again. She'd been tainted with lust, but she absolutely loved it. She wanted Nick to make that feeling consume her.

In the blink of an eye, Nick's movements changed. Rather than use his mouth, he began to use his nose, sniffing her body vigorously. The rapid pace of wind beating against her made her legs squirm as the current traveled down toward her waist. Judy gasped when he reached her groin, his paws sliding down and pushing her knees aside as he looked straight ahead at her throbbing pussy.

"Haaaah!" Judy squealed as Nick's nose pressed against the crease and sniffed her all the way up. His mouth opened wide in front of her clit, swelled and pulsing with arousal. Taking in the scent emitting from her lips, his girth and knot flexed up toward his belly. He panted deeply, his warm breath washing over Judy's nub, making it throb with force. Judy cracked her eyes open to look down at him. His mouth was just an inch away from touching it. Her paws gripped against her chest as she watched, wondering when he would move in and embrace the area calling out to him.

Nick surprised her when he moved his head around her thigh, and began to crawl up her side. Her labia spasmed in protest, yearning for him to come back and give them a kiss. Her eyes carried a pitiful gloss to them, which Nick noticed as he laid down with his head above hers.

"Patience, Carrots." Nick whispered, prompting her to lift up and lay against his chest as he laid down on his mattress. "Not gonna leave you hanging. Just gotta work with me for a little longer."

Judy winced through her teeth. Her arousal had spiked even more as he'd worked down her body and teased her aching labia. It was like a dam that had been closed off, with a powerful tidal wave building up without any sign of release. She remembered how much Nick cared about her, and that he knew what he was doing. She nodded, trusting that Nick was keeping both of their best interests at heart. Her paw moved downward, moving across his thigh until it found his length. She was nowhere near in a state of mind to service it properly; she more held onto it for comfort. The pads of her paw moved along the tip, feeling the pointed tip. Nick showed his appreciation for her touch with an instinctive throb in response.

Keeping one paw against her left breast, Nick leaned his chin on top of Judy's head, his other paw trailing down her front. His claw traced the outer rim of her belly button, before all of his digits surrounded the circumference and spread out across her fur. Nick pressed his lips against Judy's head in a soft kiss. The rabbit whimpered as his tongue ran up behind her ear. His paw moved from her belly down between her legs. His touch traced just beside her hamstrings, then moved in and met above the center of her labia. He curled his digits inwards, pressing against the surface, and moving the pressure back and forth.

Judy reeled in the surge his touch gave her. She dug the back of her head against his chest as her lust washed over her consciousness even more. She began to lose track of her senses; even with her eyes open, she could barely make out Nick's room anymore. All she could focus on at the moment was that she'd been built up for so long, ages it seemed, and she needed release before she lost her sanity.

"You want me to put it in, Judy?" Nick whispered into her ear. Judy nodded desperately. "Are you surrrre?"

"Nick, come on already!" Judy shouted, immediately shutting her mouth tight as she realized how loud she'd been.

"You got it." Nick replied in a hurry. He eased her off of his chest and turned her around, her back against the mattress as his arms straddled each side of her chest. Judy's thighs rest against her ribs as Nick's stalwart erection lined up with her entrance. Judy had spent most of the day worrying about being able to take him, but now she wanted it in her more than ever. If he didn't put it in her soon, she'd pounce on him and ram it in herself.

She wasn't denied her prize much longer. Nick advanced his hips, and the pointed tip of his length parted her wet lips. Judy gasped as she felt it breached. The head pushed forward, disappearing from sight as it entered her caverns. Judy's voice broke out into a falsetto as she felt it slide inside of her, her inner walls moving to accommodate the visitor. She couldn't believe Nick was inside her. And it had happened without much difficulty at all; a bit of a push to get it past the surface, but her body had adjusted to him without any real trouble.

Judy kept her eyes up at Nick. His mouth remained open as he relished in the feeling her inner walls provided. Looking back at her, Judy felt his shaft twitch and throb inside of her, making her nerves stand on end. The mounting pressure continued to increase, but in a much more reassuring way. Her clitoris remained large and rigid, having little room to inflate anymore than it had. Keeping her gaze on Nick, she felt her eyes sting as they smiled at each other.

 _We did it._ She thought to herself. Hunched over her, Nick nodded understandingly, before pulling his hips back. Judy could feel the tension slip down, until just the head of his cock remained inside, then slip back in. Each thrust massaged her insides, filling her heart with joy. She lifted her legs and wrapped them around his back, in an effort to keep him close. Her body wanted that rod buried deep inside of her, reluctant to let it go for even a moment. She knew that her dam would break soon and give her the bliss she craved.

Judy began to notice something after a few minutes. It was subtle, but Nick would hesitate for half a second each time he pushed forward. As much as she enjoyed the sensation he gave her, she was curious to see what was causing it. Still panting, Judy lifted her head to get a better look at the action. Suddenly, things made more sense. Beginning another push forward, Judy noticed him stop at a certain point; the mass of his knot resting just outside of her entrance. She could see it flex as it stopped, clearly wanting to go inside, but Nick would steel himself from giving in, and pull back before it went too far.

"N-Nick?" Judy asked, her voice shaking with her arousal. Nick's ears perked at her voice, and he opened his eyes to look down at her.

"Yeah? You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Y-you're not going in all the way?"

"I don't want to hurt you." He replied, ceasing his thrusts for the moment. "This is good enough."

Judy's heart swelled. She was touched that even when they were both giving into their carnal desires, Nick still had the resolve to keep himself at bay for her sake.

"Nick, that's really sweet of you." Judy said. "But I don't want you to hold back. I… I think I can take it."

Nick looked down at his groin, seeing the size of his knot outside of Judy's entrance. From where he could see, the width of his flesh was actually more than that of Judy's vagina; only by a few centimeters, but enough to count. He wanted to say no, but the idea was somewhat enticing.

"Are you sure?" Nick asked,his knot throbbing in anticipation.

"Yeah, absolutely." Judy nodded. "Hang on, back up." With confusion, Nick pulled his shaft out of Judy, who gasped briefly, before pulling herself up. Turning around, Judy braced herself on her paws and knees. She looked over her shoulder at Nick, leaning her head and shoulders down and swaying her posterior from side to side. "Like this."

Nick felt his face go numb as he looked over Judy's change in position. With her tail up so much that it was resting on her back, Nick was given a clear view of everything she had underneath. His eyes pored over her toned and firm butt cheeks was the tight round crater of her anus. Even more prominent though, was the sight of her wide open pussy lips, glistening with her wet excitement. Her entrance was open enough that Nick could actually catch a glimpse inside of it. The fact that she was so spread open without anything inside of her gave him hope that he just might fit.

Nick felt a primal instinct well up within him as he looked at her. He did well to keep it under control, but he had to sate it before he could continue. He dipped his face forward and pressed his nose between her cheeks. He began to sniff her her anus, becoming familiar with the tangy aroma, just as his ancestors had done to meet acquaintances in the past. Judy's body flexed in response to the beat of air against her flesh, as Nick's nose dipped even lower, sniffing up the sweetness of her soaking lips. He just needed a quick whiff, just a hint of her pheromones, to psych himself up and proceed.

Nick pulled himself up, almost leaping over Judy's back as his paws reached down and wrapped around her chest. Judy gasped in surprise at the sudden movement, as Nick worked his hips behind her rump and craned his head down next to hers.

"Hold on tight, Carrots." He grunted, before working his erection into her slippery entrance. Her walls accepted him even easier than before, until the mass of his knot pushed up against the surface. Breathing in deeply, Nick thrust himself forward, pushing past the resistance, and the knot breached her with a loud and wet pop.

Every animal has stubbed their toe multiple times in their life. Big or small, the sensation is always the same; that feeling of numbness for about a second, followed by a sudden alarming rush of pain that makes the entire body convulse and want to leap out of their fur at once. A similar sensation rocked through Judy's body at the moment; the only difference was that instead of starting from her toe, the pain emanated from her vagina.

"SWEET CHEESE AND CRACKERS!" Judy screamed as she felt the mass barge its way inside her. Though it hadn't actually torn any skin, it felt as if she'd been split down the middle all at once. Her ears stood on end and her eyes remained bulged as her lower half clenched severely.

"You okay?" Nick asked with distress, keeping his body motionless. "Tell me to pull out, and I'll pull out."

"No no no no no!" Judy replied in a panic. As painful as it was, she knew that him yanking it back out would start the sensation all over again. It had already reached its peak a few seconds ago, and as she kept her teeth clenched, it was starting to fade. Judy breath was strained, her body twitching in succession. Even with Nick remaining still, she could feel his rigid shaft throbbing inside of her.

Along with the sharp affliction, Judy sensed something else building up; the head of Nick's length seemed to rub against something inside her, something inflated that she hadn't noticed until now. Every throb resonated against it, making her shiver in ecstasy. It had taken a minute, but the pain she felt had disappeared. Her inner walls had acclimated the shape of Nick's fat knot stretching her out. With his tip still rubbing inside of her and his knot stretching her out, Judy's rump squirmed underneath Nick's body. What had at first been the sharpest pain had quickly transformed into the most fulfilling pleasure.

"Mmm, Nick!" Judy moaned in need. "Give it to me."

Nick didn't need any further encouragement. As soon as she gave him the go ahead, his hips began to rock into her behind. His motions were drastically different than before; instead of slow and steady motions in and out of her passage, Nick kept his shaft in the same place inside her. His thrusts were small, but fast and fierce. Nick panted with his tongue hanging out, shaking his lower body up and down and humping her rigorously.

Judy continued to moan without any restraint. Her arousal had jumped once again. It felt as if her clitoris had become the very center of her being, controlling every nerve in her body like a puppet from a string. Nick's head leaned down against her shoulder, and he began to grunt with ferocity. It wasn't often that Judy thought of the striking contrast between she and Nick's citizenship, but the way he moved behind her served as a reminder: he was the predator, and she was the prey, his prey. But Judy wasn't scared for her life in the slightest. She felt safe and secure under Nick. Even as he growled next to her face, Nick still poked his tongue out and gave her an affectionate lick. It was a reminder that he was still in control of himself. Judy didn't need the reassurance from him, but it warmed her heart nonetheless.

Judy's breathing became sharp and more frequent as he pummeled her from behind. Her eyes squeezed shut as she felt the elation between her legs reach a boiling point. She'd wondered when she would reach her end, or if it would take her by surprise, but she somehow knew it was imminent. It felt as if her walls were squeezing around their guest, in an effort to milk it for everything they could before they gave up.

"N-Nick… ah-ah!" Judy gasped, struggling to get the words out of her moaning throat.

"You gonna cum?" Nick asked under his breath, keeping his hips working behind her. Was that the word she was searching for? The way he'd said it, she imagined it had to be.

"Y-yeah." Judy sang out.

"Thank God, me too." Nick replied. In an instant, his hips picked their speed up. Judy felt her chest tighten as she felt his length tremble inside of her. She couldn't believe it, they were actually finishing at the same time. The fact stuck out in her mind, and the sensation built up even faster inside of her. Her body pushed itself back against Nick, who began to whine under his breath. It seemed the sensation was becoming a bit too much for him to bare, as his deep grunts subsided and were replaced with feeble whimpers of pleasure. Judy smiled with amusement at the sound. Just as she thought about how adorable his voice sounded, her entire body seized.

"Haaaah! Oh my god, Nick!" Giving one last spasm, Judy's inner walls squeezed around Nick's shaft as the tension broke and washed throughout her body. It rushed toward her brain, making her feel numb for a moment. It was as if she had left the world, only conscious of the fox holding her from behind and bringing her to this level of bliss. Nick, with his lap smashed against Judy's buttocks, flexed his rod as much as he could muster, before his muscles gave out.

"Ahh-hnng!" Nick whimpered. His back slouched over, and his penis shot a thick jet of semen inside of her. The sudden release brought on another rush, and after humping her a few seconds more, another spurt erupted from inside. Nick's mouth hung open, and Judy could feel his hot breath panting against her ears. Nick's eyes glazed as he felt the same ecstasy that Judy experienced at the moment. The two remained still for nearly a minute, riding out the waves of their orgasm, Judy still squeezing on the rigidness of Nick's rod as it took its time softening up.

The fatigue of their romp caught up to Nick's hindlegs. He slowly leaned to his left, making sure he didn't rip his knot out of Judy's spasming walls. Judy took his cue and let Nick ease her down along with him. Flopping onto their sides, Judy snuggled up against his chest, still keeping his length inside of her.

Judy had her eyes closed as she rubbed the back of her head against his chest. Nick kept his paws wrapped around her midsection, curling his digits and scratching her fur. He leaned his head over, kissing the side of her head and underneath her ears. Judy, still swimming in the bliss of her orgasm, giggled affectionately as she squirmed underneath him.

"Hey, Nick? You're not gonna want this back anytime soon, are you?" She asked, rubbing above her groin as her vaginal walls hugged the fleshy mass inside of it. "I think it's stuck."

Nick chuckled as he kissed her cheek. "It'll shrink in a little bit, then slip back inside the sheath."

"Aww, poo." Judy replied, wiggling her behind against his lap in an effort to move his length deeper inside of her. "What if I want to keep it in me forever?"

"Hey, if you wanna keep it, that's fine." Nick said as he ran his paw down her side. "Though it's probably gonna look weird when we go back to work on Monday, with you just kind of attached to my lap like this."

Judy's vagina clenched around Nick's rod as she laughed. The image of waltzing into the station with her behind pressed against Nick's lap and filled with his cock amused her quite a bit. How funny that she'd been so hesitant of his knot for the majority of the day, but now that she'd felt it, was reluctant to part with it. What she'd thought earlier that night might have been true after all; now that she'd experienced a fox, she had no desire for anything else. It was something she was more than okay with.

Eventually, Nick's knot did become soft enough that it slipped out of her caverns. Losing its fortitude, it began to recoil, until it became recluse back inside Nick's furry sheath along with the rest of his length. All that was left was the smallest tip of his penis poking out of the top; that, and a thick trail of his white semen, trailing along the fur of Judy's left butt her hole unplugged, Judy turned herself over, so her chest was lined up with Nick's. Still feeling some lingering bliss, she looked up at him and stared into his warm green eyes, who stared back at her with as much affection as she felt at the moment.

For several months, they'd enriched each other's lives more than they'd thought possible. Judy had taught Nick to be more than society had viewed him, and to rekindle the sentiment he'd closed himself off to as he'd grown up. Nick in turn had helped Judy eliminate the prejudice she hadn't been aware she'd harbored, and that relationships ran deeper than species. They were like two puzzle pieces meant to be snapped together.

Judy raised her head up and pecked Nick's lips for a moment. The two moved their paws into the grasp of the other, their pads meeting and holding each other with care. After some time, Judy's mouth broke away from Nick's while she kept her eyes on him.

"Thank you, Nick." She whispered. The fox nodded and moved his paw behind her, pulling her in close and hugging her head against his chest. Weariness began to overcome Judy's senses, her eyes and body beginning to feel heavy and immobile. "See you in the morning?" She asked with a robust yawn.

"Yeah." Nick replied, brushing her ears resting behind her head. "I'll be here."

"Mhm." Judy murmured, snuggling into his chest. She took delight as she could feel Nick's heartbeat under his fur, slow and strong. The peaceful rhythm rocked her to sleep, her last thought running through her conscious mind how happy she was to have met Nick half a year ago. She was glad that the two had made such a wonderful impact on the other's lives, and that they'd taken such a big step together. She hoped that they would continue to take bigger steps in the future, knowing they could support each other one foot at a time.


	5. Chapter 5: What Lies Ahead

Under a thin layer of covers, Judy's chest rose and fell with each breath as she slept. Her back was toward the edge of the bed, her ears drooped against her head. Resting against a plush pillow, her mouth remained open, her nose twitching. A hint of sunlight shone along the bed through the blinds.

Her eyelids still closed, Judy's eyes began to move. The corners of her lips trembled, until her tongue drew back to rehydrate itself within her mouth. She felt somewhat weary upon waking up, a cloud of fog weighing over her mind. She felt a twinge of soreness between her legs. It wasn't agonizing, not even close, but it was definitely noticeable. The ache of her inner walls brought back the flood of memories from last night, how she and the fox she'd become so fond of gave into their carnal desires. The sentimental warmth of the memory dulled the ailment in her groin for the moment. Judy forced her eyes open to look across from her at Nick, to see if he'd woken up yet.

It seemed he had, long before she did. The space next to her was empty. Judy blinked a few times to make sure her grogginess wasn't playing tricks on her. She reached a paw over and felt the empty space against the mattress. Nick was gone. He'd said he'd be there when she woke up, but he was gone anyway.

A wave of disappointment rushed over Judy. She could hear her mother's voice lecturing her from when she was in high school, about how all men were only after one thing. She didn't want to believe it. Judy just couldn't take the fact that Nick was "one of those guys" that her mother had preached about, at least not with her of all people. Maybe if she could find Nick at home, she could sort things out with him.

Looking at the dark sheets and covers she laid within, a thought suddenly occurred to Judy. She was already at Nick's house, laying in his bed. They'd gone back to his place instead of hers. Judy sat up in bed, holding the sheets in front of her chest. Still feeling a bit groggy, she wondered if it might be best to find Nick before jumping to conclusions.

Judy's left ear shot up at the sound of metal clanging from outside the bedroom. It didn't sound alarming, but it made her curious. She looked over the side of the bed, but noticed her clothes weren't on the floor where she'd left them. Her eyes scanned the room, but she realized there was nothing for her to wear. With no other option, Judy pulled the sheets from the mattress and wrapped them around her form before stepping out of the door of his bedroom.

Judy looked across the way, and saw a red bushy tail poking out from one side of the kitchen. Entering the area, she saw Nick in front of the oven, dressed in a pair of brunette pajamas, fumbling with a yellow box and a measuring cup of water. Pouring the water into a bowl, she could just see something the color of buttermilk rise up to the top. Nick pushed the cup to the side, but noticed that he was being watched. He turned toward Judy with a welcoming smile.

"Hey, morning." Nick said to her. "I didn't wake you up did I?"

His friendly demeanor put Judy's worries at ease. Nick didn't seem detached or in any kind of hurry to get her out the door. Judy shook her head at him, glad that she hadn't gone on her first assumption. Her eyes moved back to the bowl in front of him.

"What are you making?" She asked, keeping the sheets clutched to her as she meandered toward the oven.

"Pancakes." Nick replied as she looked into the mix of powder and water. The fox began stirring them, mixing the two substances as they slowly congealed together. "Went ahead and used the whole box. It might be a little more than we can handle, but we don't have to eat 'em all at once."

Judy was touched. He had given her the most exhilarating and passionate night of her life, and he was also thoughtful enough to make breakfast the morning after.

"That's really nice of you, Nick. Thanks." She said as he continued stirring. Something still puzzled her, as she kept her paws on the sheets keeping herself covered. "Quick question though: where are my clothes?"

"Folded 'em up for ya. Didn't want nice clothes like that to get wrinkled on the floor. They're on the mantle."

"Mantle?" Judy asked with suspicion. That didn't make sense to her. It was nice of him to fold them up for her, but she thought it would make more sense to leave them in his bedroom for when she she woke up. A playful smirk appeared on her face as she thought out the details and stared accusingly at Nick. "You just wanted to see me naked again, didn't you?"

Nick scoffed in a melodramatic manner. "Wha,me?" He asked, turning to her and putting a paw over his chest. "Do you really think I would try to pull a ruse like that?"

"Yes."

"Ouch, just cut my heart in half!" Judy rolled her eyes, as her paws fiddled with the fold of bedsheets at the top of her chest. "You know, I thought last night meant something. I mean, if you still can't trust me after I bore my all to you, it makes me wonder if-!"

Judy found it easy to silence Nick once she dropped the sheets to the floor and stood in front of him with a paw on her hip. He'd gotten plenty an eyeful of her last night, but the light of the kitchen displayed her body much better than the lamps in his darkened bedroom. His eyes traveled down the cotton white of her chest, her pink nipples just poking out from the surface. He noticed that her hips were an inch wider than her chest, full and round, but toned and fit for running across the city at a moment's notice. The fur around her vulva was a bit dark near the center, and he could see that her labia had shrunk considerably, now that she wasn't at the height of her arousal anymore. He could also see just a bit of matted fur between her legs, where some of their fluids had rested overnight.

"... Though, if that was my plan, then I'd say it worked out pretty well." Nick finished, eliciting a playful sneer from Judy. He may have let his walls down for her more than anyone in years, but he still had a charming playfulness within him.

"I'm gonna go shower." Judy said, bending over to pick up the sheets she'd dropped on the floor. She reached up and clutched Nick's shoulder and pulled him down. Judy's lips pecked Nick on the cheek, making his tail swish a few times before she released him.

"I'll lay some pajamas out for you" He called to her, his eyes on the roundness of her buttocks as she sauntered away with the sheets over her shoulders.

"Thanks." She replied. "Put them on the bed this time."

"What's that, you want me to put them on the mantle?" Nick asked, pouring some pancake batter into the sizzling pan in front of him.

"Bed!"

"Mantle?"

"BED."

"Okay, mantle it is."

Judy chuckled as she closed the door to his bedroom. She didn't care where he decided to put her clothing; he'd already seen her naked twice. She could just as easily stroll out into his living room with her towel wrapped around her ears, and it wouldn't make a difference. Tossing the sheets back onto the bed, Judy waltzed into the bathroom, hoping she could figure out how the lavish knobs of Nick's shower functioned.

Several minutes passed, and Judy stepped out of the bathroom with a cloud of steam following her. Her fur was just a bit damp, but refreshed and rejuvenated as the cool air met her body. Looking at Nick's bed, she noticed the sheets and blankets had been made. On top was a pair of cerulean pajamas, made of the same quality that Nick wore. Judy felt a sense of disappointment; she'd almost been looking forward to strutting out into his living room stark naked, just to see his reaction. Nonetheless, she appreciated his civility and got herself dressed.

Judy walked out into the living room and saw Nick placing two plates on the coffee table in front of the couch. Each of them had a thick stack of pancakes with syrup, and a helping of blueberries she'd shared with Nick about a week ago. Next to the plates were two cups of coffee, still piping hot and billowing with steam.

"Hey, so, I know it's supposed to be our day off and all." Nick began as he sat back with his plate in his lap. "I was hoping you'd help me with something."

"Oh yeah? What's that?" Judy asked.

"I was thinking about what you said a few days ago, and you're right." Judy eyebrows furrowed, unsure of what he was referring to. "I really do need to brush up on my cop knowledge. I've been kind of skating by for a while, but if Bogo figures out I'm forgetting how much fines are worth in front of suspects, that's gonna look bad for the force."

Judy was taken aback. Nick had pushed himself to get into ZPD, to prove to everyone else that he was capable of more than they expected of him. Once he'd been accepted, he'd become complacent, like his position was secured and he had no reason to push himself anymore. Judy was proud that he was showing some resolve to improve himself.

"Okay. I'll help you study if you want." Judy replied. "But, let's save it for later. I want to finish watching that movie before we crack open the books."

Nick breathed a sigh of relief. "Yeah, let's do that. Why do it now, when you can do it later?" He said, making Judy snort. He pressed the buttons on the remote control to wake the movie player, and Judy pulled her plate onto her lap. She cut herself a portion of the stack and plopped it into her mouth.

They tasted good. Not amazing; pre-packaged pancakes could only do so much. But Judy had still not found pancakes she wouldn't eat, and she wasn't about to start with Nick's generous offer. Still, she thought about how much better her own mother's recipe was, and how long it had been since she'd woken up to that heavenly scent filling up their barn. She wagered that if she could get Nick to taste them for himself, he'd notice the difference as well. She could just imagine him sitting in her parents kitchen, taking one bite and seeing his face freeze as his taste buds processed what wonderful delights they bathed in.

Judy paused. The thought that had just gone through her mind had taken her by surprise. She had imagined Nick, the fox she had just shared a bed with, in her parents home as they enjoyed each other's company. As delightful as the image was, she wondered if such a thing was possible. Of course her parents had met Nick before; they'd attended his induction ceremony, though Judy suspected they'd done it more on her behalf than his. Did they still have their reservations toward foxes? Would they approve of her relationship with Nick? Now that she thought about it, what kind of relationship did she have with Nick? Would they even get to a point where they'd need to win her parents over?

"Nick?" Judy asked as Nick played the movie. He pressed the pause button before a sentence had been uttered on screen.

"Yeah?" Nick asked.

"So… what are we now?" Judy asked hesitantly. A heavy silence filled the air for several seconds. Nick took a breath and laid back against the couch, thinking hard on the right way to respond.

"Well… we're a _we_." He began. "That's something."

"We?" Judy asked with confusion. "What were we before?"

" _We_ weren't a _we;_ We were a _you and I._ "

"We were? Wait, wait, so, if I asked this question last week, you would have said…"

"I would have said 'you and I are a _you and I.'"_ Nick explained.

"But, you have referred to us as _we_ before."

"It was an implied _you and I._ "

Judy wanted to respond, but the back and forth over semantics was making her head spin. "Okay, well, we-wha- whatever; what does that mean for us though?"

Nick's eyes looked up toward the ceiling. "I don't know." He admitted. Judy remained silent, looking down at her pancakes. "I do know that I really enjoyed last night. All of it, not just what happened in there." Nick said, nodding his head toward the bedroom. He turned to face Judy head on as she looked up at him. "And I know I want it to do it again, because it's probably the most relaxed I've ever felt in a while."

"Yeah?" Judy asked, finding more heart to cut another piece of her pancakes for herself. "What do you want to do again?"

"Spend days off with you, share meals, watch movies. Hang out here, just to get away from everything. Drop our shields for a little bit." Judy lifted her fork to her mouth and bit off the syrup soaked morsel, mulling over his response. "Tell you what;" Nick continued. "How about we watch the movie, and then talk about it a little more afterwards, after we've woken up a little bit."

Judy chewed over what she'd just put in her mouth. Looking at Nick, a sense of tenderness filled her heart. It had been a different answer than what she'd been expecting, but she was satisfied with it for the moment.

"Works for me." She said after swallowing. Judy readjusted her seat and leaned her head against Nick as he pressed the play button. Nick reached his arm around her shoulders and gave her a nurturing squeeze. His touch warmed her heart. She was joyful that she'd burrowed her way past the emotional wall he'd hidden behind for so long. Placing her paw on his thigh, Judy watched the characters onscreen, unafraid of what the future might bring for them.


End file.
